Dirty Little Secret
by RoseKatnissWeasley7
Summary: Max's life has taken a turn for the worse when Jackie Tyler takes her in. She's missing her life on the run until a certain Doctor comes along to show her the stars...but she doesn't tell him about her past. Will most likely go through all the series. Rated T.
1. A Chance to Change

**Dirty Little Secrets**

**A/N: So…I came up with this idea ages ago and finally got around to writing this. If you like it, let me know, if you think it's just stupid, do the same. I wrote this sort of a prologue so everyone understands the background and what's going on. Tell me in a review whether I should finish writing this story!**

**Disclaimer: DON'T OWN DOCTOR WHO OR MAXIMUM RIDE. Duh…**

**Oh! And the whole thing is probably going to be written in Rose's POV. If that ever changes, I'll be sure to put it in an author's note at the beginning of each chapter.**

**#DW#**

"Thanks, Mum," I say as she hands me a cup of tea.

"Not a problem, love," she smiles. Mind you, she's not exactly my real mother but she's the closest I've ever had to one. Ever since the day she found me on the streets at fifteen…

~FLASHBACK~

I sit in the corner of the alleyway, hugging my knees and whimpering. My brown hair is caked with dirt and grime, as is the rest of me. I can't remember the last time I've eaten, showered, or slept. I'm living on the run, ever since Fang…well, since the dirt bag left me. And the rest of the Flock. It hit me pretty hard, and I sort of fell out of it. Then my heart broke even more when the Flock asked me to leave.

Sitting on the filthy ground, with no hope and a broken heart, I'm about to drift off to a night that will surely be full of nightmares. Then I hear a voice from the street.

"Are you alright, love?" says a female voice. I just stare at my knees and hope she'll get the hint that I want to be left alone. I'm done trusting people. Jeb, Fang, the rest of the Flock…I don't need the list of betrayal to get any freaking longer than it already is. Yet I hear footsteps becoming louder as the woman comes closer.

"I'm fine," I say coldly – or at least, I attempt to. My voice cracks and I sound awful, and I'm absolutely positive I look it as well. Even worse than usual. I look up to give her the infamous Maximum Ride "get away from me glare". I take in her features more clearly. Hair that's dyed blonde, from the look of her dark roots. Bright blue eyes that let me read her like a book. They show sympathy and kindness…two traits I haven't seen in any person I've met in a long time. But it's more likely my mind is playing tricks on me because I'm so desperate.

"Come on, sweetheart, you don't look fine," she says softly. Wow, that's a nice vote of confidence. "Where are your parents?"

What, Jeb and Dr. Martinez? I think not. They'll never be my parents. Not in a million years. "Don't have any," I mutter.

"Guardians?"

"Nope."

"What's your name?"

I hesitate. The last thing I want to say is "Maximum Ride". I don't want to be Max anymore. If I have any chance of turning my life around, I need to change. The whitecoats will surely come looking for me at some point. Maybe even the Flock. Honestly, I don't want to be found. So I lie and say the first thing that comes to mind.

"Rose," I decide. Sharp, but beautiful. Exactly what I want it to be.

"Will you let me help you, Rose? You don't have to come with me, not if you don't want to. I'm on my own too, lost my husband about ten years ago. Do you want to be alone together?"

Living the life I have, you learn to pick up on whether someone is telling the truth or not. This woman surely isn't lying.

"That sounds nice."

~END FLASHBACK~

She helped me up and brought me back to her apartment at the Powell Estate. I learned her name is Jackie. She gave me the first home cooked meal I'd had since Jeb, and a bed to sleep on.

She didn't ask me about my past. She could tell I was reluctant to trust people at first. She let me settle in, waited for me to open up on my own. That took about six months.

She was shocked, to say the least, about the wings. And the other powers I've developed with them. Even since she's found me, I've discovered new abilities I didn't even know I had. I cried that day. Not because I was sad – because I was happy.

For the first time in my life someone didn't look at me any differently. To Mum, I'm not a freak, or a mutant experiment – I'm just Rose – and that is the best thing I could have asked for.

Another six months passed. I started attending the local school, and made friends with Mickey Smith. I spent most of my time with him. As much as I wanted to change, I'm still not a people person. I even dated a guy named Jimmy Stones for a while. Long story short, that relationship didn't end well. He tried to force himself on me and ended up with a broken face. Literally.

I didn't get bothered by the whitecoats once. I was no longer Maximum Ride. I became Rose Tyler.

~FLASHBACK~

I wake up to the smell of pancakes. Turning over to look at the clock, I note the time. Six in the morning? Jackie never wakes up this early to make breakfast. What's the special occasion? I decide to find out.

Walking into the kitchen, my stomach grumbles. Unexpected as they are, those pancakes smell great.

"Jackie?"

"Oh, hello, love. How did you sleep?"

"Um…great. Can I just ask…why are you up so early making breakfast?" She turns to smile at me.

"You remember how you told me you don't have a birthday?" she asks. I nod, remembering how I explained that I don't know when I was born (or created, or whatever word suits your fancy).

"Well, it's today. Exactly a year ago, I found you in that alley. Since we don't know when you were actually born, I figured that it would be a good day to choose," she says. Tears come to me eyes.

"You mean…you're doing this for me?" My voice cracks with emotion. Jackie looks up at me in surprise.

"Of course, what's the matter love? Is there something wrong with it?"

"No one has ever… done anything for me before. I've never had a birthday, or a holiday, or anything. I just…" I can't even figure out what to say. I settle on two simple words: "Thank you." I throw my arms around her neck and squeeze the life out of her. I don't know how long we stand there until she pulls back and plates the pancakes and sets them on the table. I dig in happily.

"So, what do you want to do today, Rose? Your special day, whatever you want!"

I look up at the woman who has done so much for me in the past year and realize how close we've become. How much I want to be just like her.

"Actually…I was thinking of going blonde," I smile widely.

She smiles right back.

~END FLASHBACK~

Then not long after that was when she became "Mum".

~FLASHBACK~

It slips out, really. I don't even mean to say it. I'm just thinking about how Jackie is more of a mother to me than anyone I've met, then realize I need her to grab my magazine from across the room because my toenails are wet.

"Mum!" I call loudly. She comes in looking confused.

"Did you just call me Mum?" I blush.

"Sorry, Jackie, won't happen again," I mumble as I look away.

"Rose, look at me," she says quietly. I turn my head toward her slowly.

"I'm sorry," I say again, then open my mouth to say more but she cuts me off.

"I'd be the happiest person on Earth if you'd accept me as your mother." My eyes widen, and for a second time, I feel tears of joy bubbling up inside me. I smile wider than I ever have.

"You're the best Mum I ever could have asked for." She smiles right back at me.

"Now, did you need something, love?"

"Oh! Yeah, could you grab my magazine?" I point to it on the dresser and she hands it to me.

~END FLASHBACK~

It was that exact moment when I knew my life had changed for the better.


	2. The Plastic People

**A/N: I'm having fun with this…so I'm gonna keep writing even if no one is reading.**

**~DW~**

I'm down in the basement when I hear the door shut behind me. Reflexively, I turn to open it again. But it's locked. I'm a bit freaked out and my mind starts jumping to conclusions. I scan the room, noting all exits and looking for signs of other people. I'm alone down here, nothing but the harmless store mannequins around me.

I walk in the direction of the next closest exit, not wanting to be down here any longer than I have to. I pass by all the plastic people on the way…and freeze when I detect movement out of the corner of my eye. I look back at one of the mannequins, dressed in a dark blue button-down shirt and dark jeans. Its head moves, turning to look in my direction.

_Can it be the whitecoats? Are they controlling them? _The mannequin comes closer, slowly raising its arm. I step back just as slowly.

Just as I'm about to get into my oh-so-familiar fighting stance and rip off some plastic heads, someone grabs my hand. I nearly give myself whiplash I turn to look so fast. It's a man in a leather jacket, with piercing blue eyes, a big nose, and absolutely ridiculous ears. His dark hair is cropped close to his head.

He smiles. One word comes out of his mouth.

"Run."

I run.

**~DW~**

He drags me into the elevator and the plastic people follow us. I can't even call them mannequins anymore, because they sure as heck are NOT. As the doors are about to close, the same plastic thing from before reaches its arm in, which the man swiftly detaches from the rest of it. I sigh in relief as the doors shut and smile slightly. It's been quite a while since I've had to run like that. I almost miss it. Back in the times of Ma –

Never mind.

I turn to the man.

"What the hell was that?" I ask breathlessly as he shoves the plastic arm into my hands.

"Autons," he replies shortly. "Nothing you need to worry about." The lift opens. "Go on; get out of here, back to living your boring old normal human life." I almost snort. Me? Normal human life? I think not. That opportunity was never mine.

I step out of the lift with him. I've got tons of questions running through my mind but only one comes out of my mouth.

"Where's Wilson?" He looks at me stupidly.

"Who's Wilson?"

"He works down there, I was looking for him. Where is he?"

"Oh. Wilson's dead." He moves to run off but I grab him by the arm.

"How do you mean, Wilson's dead? And you're just gonna go swanning off like that? Tell me what's going on!"

He holds up a metal box with a bunch of blinking lights.

"This is a detonator. I have to blow up the building to stop those plastic things. Is that alright with you?" he says, somewhat annoyed.

"What are they anyway? It's not the whitecoats, is it? Tell me it's not the whitecoats!"

He just looks confused. "I don't even know who your stupid 'whitecoats' are. They're aliens, okay? Now, I have to go! Run off, then. Oh, and get rid of that arm," he says, pointing to the item of topic in my hands. Then he turns around and the door shuts behind him. Not a moment later, it opens again.

"By the way, I'm the Doctor. What was your name?"

"Rose. Rose Tyler," I stutter. I'm about to ask what kind of doctor he is when he cuts me off.

"Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!"

I do what he says and take off. The last thing I need is to get involved in this. I'm a block away when the building blows up. I look back for just a moment before running back to the Powell Estate.

**~DW~**

"Oh my god, Bev, I know! She's fine, but she was this close to dying!" Mum exclaims on the phone. I lost count of how many times she's had this conversation over the past few hours. She's still off on a rampage when the door busts open and Mickey comes rushing in. He sees me sitting on the couch and pulls me into a tight hug.

"Oh my god, are you okay? I heard what happened! You should've called, I was so worried…"

I shush him. "Sorry, Mickey. It's just…I'm kind of used to this stuff happening to me by now. I've run away from quite a few explosions and other near-death experiences in my time." He knows what I mean. Not long after I told Jackie about my past, Mickey found out too. He looks at me warily.

"You sure you're alright?" he asks. I just nod and smile. "All right, well, I've got to get off to work," he continues. "But I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Of course, Mickey. Hey, would you mind tossing this in the bin for me?" I throw him the plastic arm that I still had from last night. He gives me a strange look, no doubt wondering where it came from, but I just wave him off. "I'll see you later."

**~DW~**

Once Mum has finally calmed down and called every single person on the planet, she goes off to have a shower. There's a knock on the door and I look through the peep hole. It's the same man from last night – the Doctor.

I crouch down and go to open the cat flap, and see his face staring at mine. I quickly open the door.

"It's you!" he exclaims, clearly a bit surprised. Not nearly as surprised as me, I can tell you.

"What are you doing here?" I demand. I'm not liking this. Same mysterious person twice within twenty four hours? That's never been good in my book. Suddenly he's got some stick of metal with a blue light at the end buzzing in my face. I swipe it away.

"Do you still have that plastic arm?" he asks, stepping past me inside and waving the stick around.

"No, I got rid of it this morning…what is that thing?"

"Sonic screwdriver." Sonic what now? He looks at me. "Could I get a cup of tea?" I'm completely astonished. This random person I've only met once before in my life comes barging into my apartment and asks for tea? I just nod my head weakly and mutter, "Sure. Why not?"

I go to pour him a cup, and myself one as well. I place his on the coffee table and look up to see him pretending to be choked by that bloody plastic arm.

Wait a minute. Didn't I get rid of that?

**A/N: Like I said. LOVE writing Max/Rose internal dialogue. SO much fun!**


	3. The Doctor

I watch the Doctor struggle with the arm, not knowing what to do. I've seen a lot – Erasers, Flyboys, more than most people can imagine – but a plastic arm? I can't injure it, it's already been broken off the body. What do I do? The Doctor points his sonic at it, turning red in the face, until the fingers loosen and he yanks it off of his neck. He keeps the sonic buzzing at it for good measure until the hand stops moving altogether.

"I don't understand, Mickey tossed that out this morning!" That catches his attention.

"Mickey? Who's Mickey?" I blush a bit.

"My boyfriend…"

"He's not made out of plastic, is he?"

"Of course not!" I practically shout. "I don't know _anyone_ who's made out of plastic! Do you? No, wait, don't answer that, because you'd probably say _yes!_" Suddenly Mum bursts into the room, dressed in only her bathing robe.

"Rose, what are you shou…" she trails off as she notices the Doctor and ever so nonchalantly pulls her robe tighter around her. "Who's this?"

"I'm the Doctor," he says happily, clearly oblivious to the fact that Mum is clearly going to try and seduce him.

"There's a strange man in my apartment…" she says. He confirms that with a "Yes!" She continues. "I'm in my dressing gown…" He nods with a stupid smile on his face.

"Anything can happen…"

"Uh, no." I can't help the smile that goes on my face, then remember what's going on and it disappears in a flash.

"You know what, I think its best you leave," I say, and point to the door. He looks at me like I'm insane. "You heard me," I continue. "Get out!"

"Alright," he says, shrugging. I'm absolutely dumbfounded. _Alright?_ I expected a bit of a fight from this guy. He walks out the door. Then I can't help myself, and I bolt after him.

We're all the way out into the street when I call out to him. "Wait! Doctor!" He turns, surprised.

"I thought I was getting out," he says.

"I just…who are you?" He walks toward me and grabs my hand. Where I'd normally pull away, I just let him. I trust him and I don't at the same time.

"I'm not from this planet. Do you know how fast the Earth is spinning right now?" he asks quietly. _Not from this planet? This guy belongs in the looney bin._

"Uh..no…" I trail off, a bit embarrassed. I never really had the opportunity for education before, and even now that I do…let's just say I never liked school.

"Very fast. And you know what? I can feel it. And then I can feel the Earth racing around the sun on top of that. I'm the man who can feel the turn of the Earth, the spin of the universe. Do you know what you need to do?" I stare at him and shake my head.

"Forget me, Rose Tyler." He turns away and steps inside a blue police box. Since when has that been there? I know these streets like the back of my hand…_oh._ I watch as it fades away, making a strange noise.

_Forget you, eh Doctor? Not a chance._

**~DW~**

I race over to Mickey's apartment, bursting through the door and mumbling an excuse about needing to use the computer. He follows me into the room and looks over my shoulder. I've opened up a search engine and typed in "The Doctor".

"What are you doing?" he asks. I turn to face him.

"There's this…man. You know the night the shop blew up?" He nods. "He was there, with me. I was looking for Wilson in the basement to give him his lottery tickets. Then…the mannequins, they started to move. They were…" I swallow. "They were going to kill me."

"What?" Mickey exclaims. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Mickey, I swear to you I'm not lying. This guy, he calls himself the Doctor. I want to look him up, find out what he's all about. I don't think he's involved with the School, but what if he is? I just want to be safe," I say quietly. Mickey looks into my eyes and nods. He gets what the School does to me. Together, we get to look searching for any and every piece of info we can find on the Doctor. After a while, we find a website, owned by someone named Clive. There's pictures of the same man I met, leather jacket, ears, and all. I finally found what I'm looking for.

**~DW~**

Mickey pulls up in front of the house listed on the website.

"Are you sure about this, Rose? I mean, you're looking for information on this Doctor bloke, but what if the people in _there_ work for the School?"

"I'll be okay, Mick. I know how to defend myself," I say. He looks at me warily. I might have told him and Mum about what the School did…but I left out a few things, like my fighting experience. No one needs to know about that, and besides, it's nice to have a few tricks up my sleeve.

"Really?"

"Mickey, if I kicked you in the chest right now, I'd likely break at least three of your ribs. I'm going to be fine." With that, I turn and walk up to the door and knock. A younger kid answers the door.

"Um, hi," I say a bit awkwardly. "I'm looking for Clive? I sent him an email, about the Doctor?"

The kid turns back to the house. "Dad, it's another one of your wierdos!" I try not to take any offence to that as a man walks briskly down the hall.

"You're Rose?" he asks. I nod.

"Clive?" He smiles.

"Yes, come on in, please, make yourself at home! Follow me, we'll be heading down into the basement, that's where my workshop is." I follow hesitantly. I finger the pocket knife in my jeans pocket. Knowing it's there settles me, knowing I've got a form of defense just in case. Clive leads me down the stairs and over to a desk. There's all sorts of pictures lying around.

"The Doctor is in every single one of these photos," he says. "That might seem normal, but some of them are from decades ago. He looks exactly the same in every single one. He keeps turning up at key events in history. Never ages, never changes."

"I met him," I blurt out. He looks up in surprise.

"What did he say to you?" he asks, clearly excited.

"He saved my life. You know how Henrik's blew up? I was working…he got me out of there. Then he showed up at my flat this morning…and he said something strange," I say. He looks at me, telling me to continue. "He said he's not from this planet."

Clive looks surprised. "Wow," he breathes. "Well, Rose, I suggest if this Doctor keeps showing up in your life, you don't get involved. Everywhere he goes, death and destruction seem to follow him. If you value your life, you'll keep away from him." He takes out a pen and paper and scribbles something down. "If he shows up again, do me a favor and give me a call?" I nod, and sense our meeting is over, heading back out to the car and Mickey.


	4. The Nestene Consciousness

**A/N: Ahh, the first days of school. What at awful time this is…well, I suppose it could have been worse. I was really just looking forward to coming home and writing this all day.**

**~DW~**

"So, about this Doctor…"

I can't even get one freaking word out of my mouth without Mickey trying to change the topic to the Doctor! All I want is to take a break and get my mind off of it, and this is not helping!

"Oh, gee, I'm sorry, Mickey, did I just try to talk about myself for a minute there? Why are you so obsessed with this guy anyway? Earlier today, you didn't even want me looking into him! Now it's question after question!" I cry.

A waiter comes over and offers a bottle of wine, and I hold up my hand, pushing him away. I stare at Mickey, and he stares back.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like this, miss?" he asks. _Wait, I recognize that voice…_

The Doctor.

"What the bloody hell are _you_ doing here?" I ask furiously. I'm sick and tired of all this funky business. I just want to go back to my life. You know the one where I was almost normal?

Mickey smiles as he looks up at the Doctor and I feel something in my gut. There's something wrong with this picture…Mickey doesn't smile like that, he's friendly and welcoming. I'm getting a more…_evil_ vibe right now. And then suddenly, Mickey attacks the Doctor.

I have never felt so unsure of what to do in my life. I watch as my boyfriend and the mysterious stranger that saved my life struggle with each other. Who do I fight for? There's clearly something going on with Mickey, but the Doctor really doesn't seem like the bad guy either. I stare, wide eyed, at the scene that unfolds before me.

My eyes nearly popped out of my head when the Doctor quite literally ripped Mickey's head off. Then the rest of his body starts wandering around as his head hisses at the Doctor.

"Everybody, out!" the Doctor shouts. People race to get to the emergency exits, and I pull the fire alarm to get them out faster. I see the Doctor exiting the building, carrying Mickey's head under his arm. I run after him into an abandoned alleyway. The same blue police box from before is right in front of me. He notices that I've followed him…and so has the rest of Mickey's body.

"Hurry, get in!" he says while he points his sonic screwdriver at the doors behind me. Yet I can still hear the body banging against the doors. I rush into the box.

This is completely unreal. I guess my life was never meant to be normal. But bigger on the inside? The Doctor comes in and hooks up the Mickey-head to some of the machinery. I race out the doors of the box and look at it again. Then I walk around it. Suddenly the doors burst open and I rush back inside, looking around in wonder.

_Bigger on the inside…_I smile. _Of course it is. Why not?_

"No, no, no!" the Doctor yells. I whip my head over to him.

"What is it?" Then I see the head had melted.

"I was trying to trace the signal…" Then he looks up. "Why am I telling you this? You're not going to be able to help," He yanks down one of the levers on the machine, and we're thrown to the ground. "Here we go, back home." He stalks over to the doors and opens them. "Go on, out you go. I'm following."

"What are you talking about, that…_thing_ is still out there! You ripped off m boyfriend's _head_, you can't expect me to just leave!" I exclaim.

"A, that _thing_ was a plastic person, not your boyfriend. B, it is no longer out there, because we are no longer there!" I glance outside. We're right in the middle of the street.

"Oh, that is so _cool!_" I whisper excitedly. He gives me a look.

"Did…did you just say it's cool?"

"Um…yeah?" I reply, not sure how to respond.

"I don't think anyone has ever called it that before…" he trails off. Then he looks at me again, with what I believe is a thinking expression. Then he smiles. "I could use some help, actually…would you mind?"

I nod immediately. I've got to get Mickey back, he's the best friend I've got, and I love him.

**~DW~**

Together we step outside the police box and into the street, where I immediately pull out my phone and dial my Mum's number.

"Mum!" I exclaim when she picks up.

"What is it, sweetheart? Oh, by the way, I might not be there when you get back; I've gone out for a bit of late night shopping."

"No! Stay inside, Mum. There are these things…these alien things…they're controlling the mannequins," I start and she cuts me off.

"I've got to go, love, but I'll be back soon. See you when I get back, alright?" She hangs up and I stare at the phone.

"She hung up on me!" I say disbelievingly. The Doctor smirks. "Oi, you can shut up."

"Right, so what we have to do is find this transmitter. It's got be absolutely huge, the amount of control they've got. In the shape of a circle, it should be. Where are we going to find a giant circle like that?" He says, pacing back and forth.

"Doctor…" He continues to mumble to himself. "Doctor!"

"What?" He looks up, surprised. I pointedly look behind him, right at the London Eye.

"Oh," he breathes. "That is fantastic!"

**~DW~**

I hide over in the corner of the room as the Doctor speaks to the Nestene Consciousness. He's babbling on about some sort of intergalactic space laws and all I hear coming from the alien thing is a bunch of moaning. I scan the room. Mickey cowers in another corner; hands bound a level below me. I come up in front of him with my finger over my lips, telling him to be quiet.

Silently, I untie him and he throws his arms around me. I lead him back up to my hiding spot from before.

Then some mannequin servants come up behind the Doctor and grab him from behind, reaching their hands into his pocket and pulling out a vial.

"It was just insurance, I wasn't actually going to use it!" he shouts, exasperated. "Rose! Get out! The TARDIS will take you home!"

"And leave you with these things? Are you crazy? I've been through a lot, Doctor, you have no idea! But never have I once left someone behind, and I'm not going to start today!" I shout as I grab an axe I found on the floor and break the chains holding a rope to the wall. I swing down and knock one of the mannequin servants into the pit of liquid plastic the Doctor had been talking to and he flips the other one in as well. It took the vial of anti-plastic with it.

The Doctor looks up at me and smiles. "Oh, now, we're in trouble." He grabs my hand and pulls me along to the TARDIS and I grab Mickey along the way. We materialize out of the underground just before it bursts into flames. Stepping outside the TARDIS, the city is in ruins. We only make it a few meters when Mickey falls to his knees on the ground. I kneel next to him.

I look over at the Doctor. "So, now what?" I ask.

"Well, I'm off to see the universe. Last of the Time Lords, and all. Don't stay in one place for too long," he says, his eyes darkening for an unknown reason.

"Don't you have anyone with you?" I wonder aloud. I know how lonely life on the run can be.

"No, I'm all by myself. Meet new people, see new places, but at the end of the day I'm always on my own again. Unless…" he trails off.

"Unless?"

"Unless you want to come with me?" he says.

I look down at Mickey. I love my life here so much, I do. But even still, I feel like something is missing. But looking into his eyes, I can't just leave him. I turn to the Doctor regretfully.

"I can't. I'm sorry, but…I can't just leave him. And my Mum…" I start.

"Alright, then," he says, stepping back into the TARDIS, and before I know it, it's fading before my eyes. Mickey stares at it, wide eyes.

Then suddenly, it's back.

"Did I mention it also travels in time?"

I really couldn't say no after that.


	5. Welcome Aboard

**A/N: Wow…I can't believe how many people are following this…**

**~DW~**

"Off we go!" the Doctor says, laughing with a mischievous glint in his eyes. I cling to the TARDIS console. I could definitely get used to this.

"Where are we going?" I ask excitedly.

"Actually, I figured it's been a long day for you. I don't need much sleep, myself; you know, superior Time Lord biology, but you, on the other hand…"

_Yeah, superior human-avian hybrid biology…_I think.

"I'm actually running on adrenaline right now. Don't think I could sleep if I tried," I tell him.

"Maybe a cup of tea in the library before bed then? Nice little calm down, that's what you need," says the Doctor. "This way to the kitchen." I follow in his footsteps, paying attention to where we're headed. If there's anything I need to know, it's where he keeps the food on this ship.

_"I'm not just a ship, you know."_

_ "What? Voice? I thought I got rid of you ages ago!"_

_ "I'm not the Voice, Maximum. I'm the TARDIS."_

_ "You're the what now? How do you know my real name?"_

_ "The Doctor's ship, the TARDIS. I can see all of time and space, all that is, all that was, and all that ever could be. I know your past…and anything that could possibly happen to you in the future."_

I curse mentally. _"You…you won't tell him, right? I can't…not until I'm ready to."_

_ "As you wish, Maximum."_

_ "Are…are you always going to talk to me like this?"_

_ "Only if you would like me to."_

_ "Yes. Yes, I would." _It's nice to have someone – or something? know about me. And I can't shake the feeling of trust that I get from the ship.

_"Goodbye, Maximum." _I wave at her mentally.

**~DW~**

"Right, so here we are. The kitchen. There are instruction manuals on how to use everything in those cabinets, there…"

I cut him off. "I'm gonna stop you right there. I can't cook to save my life. I'd poison you _and_ myself if I didn't start a fire first." He laughs.

"Alright then," he says as he puts the kettle on. "Tell me more about yourself, Rose Tyler." I freeze for a moment. What do I say? He'll probably kick me off if he finds out what a freak I am, I can't tell him. But I don't want to lie, either.

"There's nothing to know, really. I can't cook; I've rubbish social skills…" I trail off.

"Oh, come on, there's got to be something!" he says.

**~DW~ (DOCTOR'S POV)**

"Earlier, you said you've been through a lot, never left anyone behind. What was that all about?" I ask. I don't think I've ever had a companion as mysterious as this Rose Tyler.

"Nothing," she says quickly. I can tell she's holding back.

"I've been through a lot as well, Rose Tyler," I say. Images of Gallifrey burning flash through my mind. "I'm the last of my kind, I'm over nine hundred. I know what it's like." I look her in the eyes. "Tell me when you're ready."

"Thank you," she says quietly, and I can tell she means it.

_One…two…three…_

"Wait a minute! Did you say you were over _nine hundred?_"

"Yeah, I did." She looks me over.

"Alright then."

"That's it? Just, 'Alright then'? You're taking all the fun out of this! Normally people are blundering about how it's impossible!" I exclaim.

"Well, you're an alien aren't you? You're going to clearly be different than humans. You're nine hundred, why not? Anything else _alien _I need to know?"

"I've got two hearts," I suggest. "And a respiratory bypass system."

"Two hearts? Really?" I nod. She holds out a hand, as if asking permission. I nod again. She feels my heartbeat on the left side of my chest, then moves to the right and her eyes widen.

"That's weird." I laugh.

"And the fact that I'm an alien isn't?"

She shrugs. Her hand moves to finger my leather jacket.

**~DW~ (ROSE/MAX'S POV)**

That stupid leather jacket just _had _to go and bring back memories. I don't want to think about Fang. He's a stupid jerk. He left me. He left the Flock.

_Oh, good job, Rose, go and remind yourself of them too!_ I scream at myself mentally. My mind races through images of Gazzy and Iggy blowing things up, while Angel sits by laughing and Nudge is yelling because they're messing up her nails.

Suddenly the kettle whistles and I jump. I quickly let go of the Doctor's jacket and he takes it off the burner. He pours two cups and hands one to me, and I add two sugars and a bit of milk.

"Thanks," I mumble. "I think you're right, I'm going to head off to bed."

"Two doors down to the right. Mine is three doors down to the left, or I'll be in the console room or the library if you need anything," he says. I nod and smile.

Forget the Flock and Fang. I'm on a time travelling space ship with an alien.

"By the way, Rose. Welcome aboard."


	6. The Earth Burns

**A/N: I want to start of like this:**

**SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY! The first few weeks of school has been keeping me from this. It's terrible. I don't even know, how long has it been since my last update?**

**~DW~**

"This is insane. Where are we? How is it possible?" I ask in awe.

"That'd take all the fun out of it! Who wants to know how? Just the fact that it _is _is probably too much for your little human brain to handle," the Doctor says jokingly.

"Gee, I'm sorry, Mr. Superior Race. But seriously, where did you take us?"

"This is Platform One," he explains. He points his sonic screwdriver at the wall, which opens up to reveal a view of Earth. "This is the day the Earth burns."

"You mean…the Earth is going to be destroyed?"

He nods. "The day the Sun expands. What do you think?"

"All those people, they worry about the end of the world. They go on and on about global warming, the apocalypse…none of them has any idea," I say, somewhat to myself. "They will never know what actually happens."

"Bright little ray of sunshine you are," he says sarcastically. I roll my eyes, then they widen.

"Speaking of those people…where are they?"

"By this time, the human race has made it out into the stars. They've safe, somewhere, on another planet out there. Most of them have met aliens, there's got to be thousands of new different species," he rambles.

"You mean, there's no more…pure humans?" _Everyone is like me?_

"Not that I know of." I smile, widely.

"Finally," I whisper to myself.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just that," I say quickly, "everyone has finally gotten over the whole 'different races thing'. And apparently the 'different species' thing as well. They're finally _accepting _each other; no one is judging anyone else on appearance, or biological differences…"

"Wow," the Doctor says, looking at me closely.

"What?"

His eyes look into mine. "Most people would just say that it's cool, or scary. You, you're different. There's something in you, something about you, you're…" he trails off, looking for a word. I stare back out at the Earth below to avoid his gaze, hoping he can't tell how I'm blushing.

"I'm weird?"

"You're fantastic."

**~DW~**

"And finally, we have in attendance, and what an honor this is, Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen, the last human!"

I'll admit it right now, some weird aliens have walked into the room at this point, but they just rolled a piece of freaking _skin_ into the room. I could jump on her face like a trampoline, and the first thing that comes out of her mouth makes me want to.

"Yes, yes, I know, I've had my chin completely removed! Makes me look so much skinnier, don't you think?"

I walk over to the Doctor. "Are you freaking kidding me?" He laughs silently.

"It's not easy, being the last _pure_ human. Everyone else, they went and mingled with _other species, _but my parents, they remained true to their race…"

I zone out immediately. I don't need to sit there and listen to reasons why interspecies are stupid freaks.

"So what do you think?" the Doctor asks me as everyone walks around to start exchanging 'gifts of respect' or whatever.

"I guess I was wrong. Apparently there's still a problem with people who are racist…or…speciest?" He gives me a strange look.

"That's not a word."

"I just made it one."

"But what about the rest? The aliens, the whole nine yards?"

"It's extremely strange," I reply honestly. "I've seen some weird things in my life, and this tops every single one of them."

Suddenly, the people who look like trees walk up to us.

"Doctor, I give you a cutting of my grandfather," says the leader, and if I remember correctly, her name is Jabe.

"Ah, thank you," the Doctor says, and then he gets a look on his face that tells me he's thinking. He looks to me and smiles mischievously before turning back to Jabe.

"I give you the air from my lungs," he says proudly and blows into her face. She looks at him strangely, and walks away. I burst into delirious laughter, leaning on the Doctor for support.

"You did not just do that!"

**~DW~**

I sit with the Doctor in a separate room; away from the rest of the party while an announcement comes on to inform everyone that Earth death is in twenty minutes.

"How are they all speaking English?" I ask suddenly. He looks at me, slightly surprised at the break in the silence.

"The TARDIS translates everything for us," he replies.

"But, she's not with us. The crew moved her out of the way, remember?"

He looks at me, again, surprised. "You called her 'she'."

"Well, yeah…you said she's alive. Then you kept calling her 'she'. And it would be pretty rude to call her an 'it'." He smiles.

"It's just, a lot of people would just need time to get used to it, some would never adjust at all. You're one of the first people I've met that's just _accepted_ that fact. Just like you're accepting everything else. No questions, no claiming it's just impossible – you're just going with it. Not a lot of people can do that."

I blush slightly. "I guess that's just the kind of person I am. Is…is that okay?"

"That's fantastic," he says.

"Even still, it's a bit strange," I admit, suddenly feeling extremely scared. I'm miles…and millions of years…from home. For a second, all I want to hear is Mum's voice. "Is there any way I could, maybe, call Mum?"

"Have you got a phone?" asks the Doctor. I nod and pull my mobile from my pocket, stretching my arm to hand it to him. He takes off the back and fits in a new battery before tossing it back to me. I look at him, my eyes asking the question for me.

He smiles. "Never need to worry about finding a signal again!"

"You're kidding me," I exclaim disbelievingly. "There's no way."

"I take you to the end of the universe, you see aliens, my ship is alive, and you don't believe that I can give you a _phone signal_ to reach home?" the Doctor points out. I look back at my phone and bring up my Mum's number, then press call.

She picks up.

**~DW~**

The sudden trembling of the ship sends the Doctor and me racing back down the hallway to the viewing platform with everyone else.

"Does anyone know where the engine room is?" the Doctor asks. "I may be able to fix whatever's going on down there."

"Well, there's a maintenance duct near our guest suite, I could show you and…your wife?" says Jabe, motioning toward me.

"I'm not his wife," I explain quickly.

"Partner?"

"Nope," says the Doctor.

"…prostitute?"

"Hey!" I exclaim.

The loudspeaker crinkles to life. "Earth death in fifteen minutes."

**~DW~**

"Jabe said the ship is run by the Corporation. Everything's entirely automatic, and there's no one from the company on board. In other words, no one is here to help if something goes wrong," I say.

"Unsinkable ship? Sounds familiar. Ended up clinging to an iceberg last time…"

"Of course you did," I say quietly to myself, rolling my eyes. "Probably killed all the dinosaurs too…"

We finally reach the ventilation chamber that we've been looking for. It's absolutely freezing, and I shiver slightly. The Doctor scans the control panel and a piece falls off, a metal spider-looking thing crawling out of it and scurrying away.

"What the hell's that?" I ask. The Doctor scans it quickly, freezing it in its tracks. Picking it up, he scans it again, before looking at me.

"Sabotage."

We race back to the viewing platform.

"How do we find out who it is?" I ask, slightly out of breath. I haven't run like that in a while.

"Easy enough," he says as we walk through the doors. He sets the spider on the ground. "Send him back to Master."

It skitters over to Cassandra.

"Of course it's you," I say sarcastically.

"Why? What's the point of sabotaging a ship while you're _on_ it?"

"Well, if I were to manufacture a situation and play myself off as a hostage, it's quite a bit of compensation," she says, smirking as much as her face allows her to.

"All these years and it still comes down to money," I say, shaking my head. "It all comes down to greed." Cassandra's 'moisturizers' have their spray bottles pointed at us.

"It's not exactly cheap, being the last human. Flatness costs a fortune. And we both know, don't we, that I am the last human, Rose, not you." Cassandra gazes calmly at me. I walk closer to her, right up to her face. She continues, just loud enough so that I can hear. "Because you're not a pure human, are you? You never were."

"I may not be a pure human, but I'm more human than you could ever be," I whisper right back, my eyes boring into hers. The loudspeaker announces the three more minutes until Earth death. I raise my voice. "And you'll burn with us."

"Will I?" she smirks again, before teleporting out.

"Heat levels rising," announces the computer. I look at the Doctor in alarm.

"There's got to be a system restore switch somewhere. Come on, Rose. You lot, stay here," he demands of everyone else.

**~DW~**

Back down in the ventilation chambers, the Doctor stares across the room at the restore system switch, through all the giant, fast-spinning fans.

"The lever…" he says, pulling it down. The fans slow, enough for him to walk through. He lets go of the lever and it shoots right back into its original position. I grab it and yank it down.

"Go!" I shout over the fans.

"The heat will vent through this place, Rose! You'll get burned!" he shouts back.

"It's okay! Go!" I shout. It's times like these where as much as I hate the scientists who made me a monster, I need to thank them. Quite a while ago, I got attacked on the street by a mugger. I got pretty angry, and my hands…well, the burst into flames. I've been completely heat resistant ever since. On top of that, I can make fire come out of my fingers. It's kind of cool, once you get past the fact that it's completely terrifying.

The Doctor dodges through the first fan as the computer alerts us of the rising heat levels. He goes through the second fan, and I glance down at my hands, burning red, orange, and gold. He looks back at me. He dodges through the last fan, just as the computer begins counting down from ten. The fans stop, and the shields restore themselves. He runs back over to me, and once he's finally across, I let go of the lever.

"Let me see," he says. I hold up my hands.

"How is that possible? No burns, no scars…"

"I guess you were wrong," I lie. "Really, the bar didn't get hot at all."

**~DW~**

"Did you see their faces?" Cassandra is in the middle of saying as the Doctor reverses her teleportation feed and brings her back.

"People died," he says angrily. "You killed them!"

I watch as she goes on about the impurity of the rest of the human race. I'm completely disgusted. Of all people who could've been the last human, it had to be her.

"Cassandra!" I shout. "Just shut up!" She and the Doctor both look at me, shocked by my sudden outburst. I continue. "People moved on, they changed, they _evolved_ like they were supposed to! Maybe there's a reason for it all! Maybe it was time! Being human isn't about your biological makeup, it's about change! Changing is human nature! And you need to realize that!"

Suddenly she begins to creak, her skin turning red and getting blotchy.

"Oh, it's too hot! Moisturize me, moisturize me, please!"

As much as I've decided I hate her, I can't let her die. It's not right.

"Doctor, help her," I say quietly.

"Everything has it's time, and everything dies, Rose. It's time for Cassandra to go," the Doctor says solemnly.

**~DW~**

"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?"

My response is simple. "Nope."


	7. Charles Dickens

**A/N: Okay, I don't know if I can figure out what I want to do with Father's Day, so that episode might be skipped over. If you have any possible suggestions, I'm open to any ideas. Thanks!**

**~DW~**

"I'm holding down the freaking button! Jeez!" I shout.

"Hold them both down!"

"It's not working!"

"Well then…"

The Doctor and I are thrown to the ground, and I can't help the delirious laughter that bubbles up inside me.

"Where are we? Where did we land?"

"It's 1860. I wonder what happens in 1860," he says. "What do you say we go find out? Oh look! It's Christmas!"

"Sweet! Let's go check it out!" I exclaim, rushing toward the doors.

"Hold it! You'll cause a riot dressed like that," the Doctor laughs. "First left, second right, third on the left, straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bin, fifth door on left, there's a wardrobe room. Quick, get changed!" I give him a look that clearly says 'you seriously think I'm going to remember all of that?' before I head off.

I'm not exactly happy with my choices…I'm not one to wear dresses, but I guess standing out even more than we already do isn't an option. It'll cause more issues than it's worth. I settle on a black dress. You can force me into a dress every so often, but whatever happens, it will NOT be pink. So I guess it's okay for now.

The Doctor is doing more unnecessary TARDIS repair work when I get back. I roll my eyes. He looks up in surprise when he notices me.

"Blimey, you can get cleaned up, can't you?" he says.

"Don't laugh," I say, giving him my death stare.

"You look beautiful…" he says, and I feel a blush creeping up my cheeks, which I try to brush off with laughter. "…for a human."

"I think that's a compliment, and I'm going to take it for now. But how come you didn't change?"

"I did! New jumper!" he says happily, and I just give him a 'seriously?' look. He races to the doors, before I stop him.

"I think not! You do this all the time! My turn!"

**~DW~**

When we hear screams later on, I'm honestly not that surprised. Neither was it a huge shock when the Doctor realized that is was not Naples, 1860, but Cardiff, 1969.

Either way, we run toward the screaming, with me thinking the whole time, _I could get used to this_. We race into a building, where there's a silver gas floating around. Most of the people have made off by this point, freaked out by what's happening. The gas is coming from an old woman.

"Where did that come from?" the Doctor immediately asks. The man he spoke to retorts, but my mind is otherwise occupied.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing with her? Leave her alone!" I shout to the woman and man who were making off with the woman's body. I turn back to the Doctor. "Stay here, figure out what just happened, I'll handle them." He nods.

I race out into the cold, snowy night, and follow the two strangers.

"What are you doing?" I ask, once I've caught up to them.

"Please, miss, don't worry yourself. This poor woman has been taken with the brain fever, we must get her to an infirmary," says the woman, who I assume is a maid from the way she's dressed. I push her out of the way and lay my hand on the woman's forehead. It's cold.

"What the hell did you do to her?" I shout. "She's dead!" Then suddenly there's a white cloth covering my face, and everything goes dark.

**~DW~**

My eyes flutter open and I take in my surroundings. I'm laying down on a hard, cold, metal table. I sit up. Coffins fill the room, and I realize what I'm laying on.

"Ew! Oh, that's just gross!" I complain disgustedly as I quickly get off the table used for dead bodies, nearly falling over because I'm not completely awake yet. There's a moan from behind me, and I immediately turn around.

Dead freaking corpse. In a coffin. Sitting up and staring at me.

The body gets out of the coffin slowly, and I prepare to defend myself, my feet moving into a position better for fighting and my arms going up, ready to throw a punch when needed.

"You are freaking kidding me," I mutter aloud as the zombie staggers toward me. Then I realize…it's a dead body. I can't exactly knock it out. I run to the door and try to open it. I bang on the door, but there's no response. I turn around again, and another body rises from a different coffin. My jaw drops. This is one of the weirdest, slightly terrifying things I've ever experienced, to put it simply. I turn back to the door.

"Somebody open the bloody door!" I shout. "Help!" The first zombie clamps a cold, disgusting hand over my mouth, muffling my screams. Then the door gets kicked in. It's the Doctor. He yanks me out of it's grip, and I cling to his leather jacket.

"Hi there. Who's your friend?"

"Charles Dickens."

"Say what now?"

**~DW~**

After having a go at Sneed, the man who kidnapped me, I walk into the kitchen after Gwyneth, the maid. I start washing up and she looks at me like I'm absolutely insane.

"What?" I ask, extremely confused.

"Please, miss, you shouldn't be helping. It's my job, I'll take care of it."

"I'm not just gonna stand here and talk to you while you work. I grew up fending for myself, doing household chores and…" I swallow, not wanting to mention my old family. "Really, it's okay."

Gwyneth looks like she wants to argue further, but she doesn't, just continues cleaning with me. The silence is a bit awkward, and I try to make conversation.

"You go to school?" I ask, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"Every Sunday of course," she replies. "Mind you, I wasn't very fond of it."

"Me either. I used to skip all the time, when I first started going, thought I knew everything I would ever need to know. Boy, was I wrong!" I laugh. "My mates used to check out the blokes, but I was never really interested.

"I wouldn't know anything about that, miss," she says, blushing.

"Oh, come on, there's got to be someone!" I tease, nudging her shoulder. I internally wince at my mental train of thought. Bad choice of words, 'nudge'.

"Well, there's the butcher's son…"

"See! Told you! That's good for you. Maybe you need more in life than cleaning up after Mr. Sneed," I say.

"Well, he did take me in when I was twelve. I lost my parents to the flu."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Gwyneth," I say sympathetically.

"Well, I'll be with them again someday. They're waiting for me, up there in paradise," she says thoughtfully.

"Maybe my dad's up there waiting for me, as well," I say, thinking of Jackie's husband, Pete, who I never even knew. Even still, she tells me I would've loved him, and he would've loved me. I might never know.

"Your father, he's not dead, though, miss!" says Gwyneth, then stops in her tracks. I stop in mine as well and turn to her.

"What did you say?" I ask hoarsely.

"You've been thinking about him lately," she says quietly.

"Who…Jeb?" I whisper. Then my voice raises. "No! Never! He's not my father, he never will be! He ruined my life, it's all his fault that I'm…"

"I'm sorry, miss, I didn't mean to make you upset," she says, and my hands come to my face, which is wet with tears without my noticing.

"How did you know about him? I'm not even…"

"From this time?"

"Okay, you're freaking me out, Gwyneth. How do you _know?_"

"I'm sorry, it's just, since I was a girl, my mother always said I had to hide the sight…"

"But it's stronger than ever, isn't it?" We both jump and turn to look into the Doctor's piercing blue eyes.

**~DW~**

"Are you serious? This is ridiculous, you can't raise the dead, it's not possible. You know it's all cheesy special effects and gullible people…" I try to say, but neither Gwyneth or the Doctor will have any of it.

"May I say, Doctor, that this girl may just have some common sense that you are currently lacking?" cut in Charles Dickens.

"Thank you!" I exclaim, motioning toward him. "It is completely impossible. Raising the dead, really, Doctor? It's like a child's story."

"I took you to the end of the world, Rose," he says turning around to look at me abruptly. "You believe me when I say I'm an alien, you believe me when I say the TARDIS is alive, but now a simple séance and all of a sudden 'it's not possible'?" I look at him warily.

"Alright," I give in. "Okay." Dickens looks at me like I'm crazy.

"Not you too!"

"He's shown me some pretty insane things since I've met him, I saw them with my own eyes. What's one more impossibility?" I shrug.

A few minutes later finds us in the basement sitting at a table in a circle. Gwyneth holds my right hand and the Doctor holds my left. Dickens still looks very uncomfortable with the situation, but then again, I'm not feeling perfect either. Sneed just sits there, going along with it, seeming annoyed.

"Gwyneth, reach out to them," the Doctor tells her.

"Speak to me, spirits," she says. Then she gasps. "I can feel them!" Gas creatures fill the room, swirling about.

"Who are you?" the Doctor demands. "Tell me who you are!"

"The Gelth."

**~DW~**

"Welcome back to the world of the conscious," I joke as Gwyneth's eyes flutter open.

"The angels, miss, they came, didn't they? They need me!"

"Yes, Gwyneth, they do." The Doctor stands in the doorway.

"Well," suggests Dickens, "we could let them through and live in the cadavers."

I stare at them. "You want to let the _aliens_ live in the _dead people_?"

"Just like recycling," says the Doctor. I look at him, making sure he's being completely serious. My eyes widen when he is.

"You can't just let them…it's not…that's completely…ugh!" I stutter.

"They need Gwyneth to get through," says the Doctor quietly.

"You can't just use her like that! You don't get it! That isn't fair! She's not some object you can just try out and 'if it fails, it fails!' You can't just use her like that, like she's a test run, like she's the key to survival and 'it's okay if she suffers because everyone else will benefit!' That's not how life is supposed to work!" I shout.

"What if I want to help, miss? Don't I get a choice?" Gwyneth asks from behind me.

I turn to look at her. "Of course you get a choice, Gwyneth, in no way am I telling you that you can't do what you want. I'm trying to tell him," I jerk my thumb at the Doctor, "that he can't just use everyone like his personal puppet set and get them to do whatever he wants them to."

"The angels need me, miss. I want to help them." I nod.

"Okay then. Let's go help some angels," I say, trying not to cringe on the word. It's been a long time since I've helped an angel.

**~DW~**

"You said you were few in number!" Dickens shouts at the spirits as they pour out of Gwyneth, seemingly endlessly.

"Gwyneth, listen to me!" Sneed yells at the girl. "Stop this, right now!" Then a walking corpse grabs him from behind, and soon enough, he's there to join them.

The Doctor and I back into a dungeon door, which the Doctor quickly opens and pushes me inside along with him. Part of me registers that Dickens is running out of the building.

"Is it even possible for me to die? In 1869? This is before I was even created, I can't die, right?" I ask, somewhat panicky. The Doctor just looks at me.

"I'm sorry." I swallow and nod.

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault," I say. "It was my choice to come here with you, don't go blaming yourself. We'll go down fighting, together. I'll go down fighting, just like I always said I would."

He grabs my hand and I look up at him.

"I'm so glad I met you."

"Me too."

**~DW~**

I look on in disappointment when the Doctor runs out of the building alone. Gwyneth didn't make it. The building bursts into flames not moments later, and Dickens and I race to help the Doctor to his feet.

"She didn't make it," I state.

"I think she was dead, from the minute she stood under that arch," the Doctor explains solemnly.

"It is a shame," comments Dickens. "She was such a kind hearted girl."

"She saved the world, a servant girl, and no one will ever know…" I say quietly, trailing off as soon as I've started.

"Anyway," I say, desperate to change the subject before sadness consumes me, "what are you going to do now?"

"I believe it is time for me to spend Christmas with my family," Dickens says. I can't help but smile. I really met Charles Dickens, and had this huge adventure with him…

"It was absolutely wonderful to meet you," says the Doctor, shaking the author's hand before he turns to unlock the TARDIS.

"Bye," I say. "Thank you so much." I follow the Doctor into the TARDIS.

"Wait!" Dickens cries. "Doctor, Rose, I must ask…do my stories last?"

"You have no idea," I tell him.

"How long?"

"Forever," says the Doctor behind me. Dickens smiles, clearly trying to look modest at the same time.

**~DW~**

Later on, I've changed back into my comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. The Doctor is back under the TARDIS console, and I shake my head.

_It is annoying,_ comments the TARDIS. _I don't need fixing after _every_ trip. Especially with the way he's poking about down there._

I laugh out loud and he looks at me strangely.

"What's so funny?" he asks, extremely confused.

"Nothing," I say, brushing it off. He shrugs, then gazes at me more closely. I look back, a bit uncomfortable.

"Is there something you need?" I finally ask.

"I was just thinking about something you said earlier," he says.

"What's that?"

"When we were trapped in that dungeon, and you were asking if you could die…you said it was before you were even 'created'. Why didn't you just say 'born'? It's a weird choice of words," he says.

I mentally smack myself. Nice going, give yourself away.

"I…it's a bit complicated," I admit. "I don't actually know…" I just trail off, not knowing how to continue.

"Then you said that you would go down fighting, just like you always said," he adds.

"Mum always said that I was tough and that one day I'd get into a fight that would be too much. It was always just a joke we had, that I would go down fighting. That's one of the first things to know about me. I'm opinionated and ready to defend myself," I liei quickly.

"It's getting late," he suddenly comments.

"Yeah, I should be getting off to bed. And Doctor? Could we take a trip home tomorrow? I want to see my Mum," I say. He nods.

"Course."


	8. Revealing a Secret

**A/N: This chapter is meant to give more depth to Jackie and Rose's relationship and it's a bit shorter than usual, so I'm posting this now and the next episode-based chapter should be up by Sunday.**

**~DW~ JACKIE'S POV**

I don't give it much thought when Rose doesn't return that night. She's probably just gone to stay at Mickey's for the night; it wouldn't be the first time. When I check the clock and it's late, almost midnight, I shut off the telly and head off to bed, knowing I've got errands to run tomorrow.

I wake up the next day, grab what I need and head out right away, to get everything out of the way. Down to the shops, then to the cleaners…when I get back to the Estate, two hours have passed. That isn't what worries me.

It's the fact that Rose still isn't back, and she hasn't texted or called. She should be home by now. I send her a text, and when she doesn't reply, I try calling, but it won't connect. Then I try Mickey, and he picks up right away.

"Mickey!"

"Jackie? Something' wrong?" he asks.

"Is Rose with you?"

"What? No," he replies, sounding confused.

"Well she did spend the night, didn't she?"

"What are you talking about? Rose didn't come back with me last night," he says.

"Then _where is she_? I can't find her anywhere, she won't answer her phone! And you remember what she told us!" I cry.

"I'll be right over," Mickey says, his tone serious.

**~DW~**

Mickey walks straight through the door when he gets here, not bothering to knock. He runs his eyes over me as I pace back and forth quickly, and I know I probably look a mess. I've been crying, my makeup is running, and my hair is still thrown together from this morning because I haven't had a shower.

"Hey, it's alright, we'll find her!" Mickey says, reaching out and grabbing my arms.

"But Mickey, you know what she said…"

"That's assuming the worst. She's probably just gone somewhere and forgot to call," he says.

"Okay," I say, taking a deep breath. "Okay. Calm down and we can find her."

"Jackie, I'll call Shareen and some other people who might know where she is. Make yourself some tea and _don't panic_. Everything is going to be fine," Mickey orders, and I head off to the kitchen to put the kettle on.

Two hours later finds us sitting at the kitchen table going through the phone book, looking to see if we've missed anyone we know.

"Mickey, I'm telling you, we've got to take this to the police!"

"Jackie, you keep telling me to remember what she told us. Why don't you?"

**~DW~ FLASHBACK**

I stare at the fourteen foot wings sticking out of Rose's back.

"Is this a joke?" I ask rather uncertainly. Rose shook her head solemnly.

"I wish," she mutters, clasping her hands in front of her, and suddenly they're the most interesting thing in the world.

"How is that even possible?" She looks up, surprised.

"Usually people are running screaming by now," she says quietly, answering my unasked question. "Why aren't you?"

"Well, you are the same person, aren't you? It's not like the wings make you someone different," I say. "I mean, it's a bit strange, but you're not some evil bird person who's going to try and kill me. Right?"

"Of course not," Rose says hastily. "Never."

"But really, how did this happen? Were you born this way, or..?"

"Actually, I don't know," she explains. "There's this place…it's called the School. They experimented on me, if they didn't create me. We always had this joke; we called each other test tube babies. I've had these wings ever since I remember."

"You said 'we'," I note, asking a question at the same time.

"Yeah, 'we' is me and the Flock. That's what we called ourselves. I'm not the only experiment. There's a group of other bird kids, they've got wings just like I do. Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, Dylan, and Total. Actually, Total is a talking dog with wings, not a human, but he was a part of the Flock anyway. They were the closest thing I had to a family…" Rose trails off, smiling with sad eyes, like she's remembering something painful.

"You escaped them? The School?"

"Yeah," she says. "This scientist, Jeb, he got us out when we were little, and we had this house in Colorado for a little while. Then something happened, and we thought he was dead for years. I was named Flock leader, because I was the oldest. Fang and Iggy were about the same age as me, maybe a few months younger. Nudge was about three years younger than Iggy, then Gazzy was about two years younger than her, and then there was Angel, she was the youngest. I basically raised them, and we survived on our own out there for a long time, and it was great, it really was. Then when I was about fourteen, it started to fall apart."

I cut her off. "About fourteen?"

"I don't know exactly how old I am, like I said, I have no idea how they made me what I am, let alone when it happened," Rose says softly. I take that fact and file it away for later use. Everyone has a birthday, and so will Rose.

"What happened to the Flock?"

"Do you remember the day you found me?" she asks. I nod. How could I forget?

"I had been surviving on my own out in the streets for about a month and a half at that point," she says. "Fang, he left the Flock. He left me- " Her voice breaks, and a few tears fall. I walk over to her slowly and wrap my arms around her.

"You love him?" I ask softly.

"I did. I can't, not anymore. He ruined everything we had, everything the Flock had…" she cries.

"What about the rest of them?"

"Well…I sort of fell apart after Fang ditched us. He was the first person I ever really trusted, I told him everything. My right-hand man, the one who was supposed to always be there for me, and I fell in love with him. I thought it was mutual, but apparently not," she mutters. "The Flock asked me to leave, and I don't blame them, I must've been weighing them down a bunch if not depressing them or bothering them. So I flew off, and somehow ended up here. You know the rest." I pull back and look at the young girl in front of me.

"You're going to ask me to leave now, right?"

"Why would I do that?" I ask disbelief evident in my voice.

"I'm a freak," she states simply and I stare at her in shock.

"You are _not_ a freak, Rose," I tell her firmly. "You're just different, is all. I'm not going to make you leave just because a group of scientists used you."

"You'll let me stay?"

"Of course!"

"Then there's one more thing you should know," she says. "If I know anything, it's that the School is out there looking for me right now. If they find me…" She sighs. "I might go out one day and not come back. They'll find me, eventually. I'll try my best to keep that from happening, but if it does, you _can't _go to the police. The School may have connections. If they find out you're helping me, they might…"

"Don't worry, Rose," I reassure her. "I won't breathe a word, I promise."

**~DW~**

Months pass, and eventually I come to terms with the fact that the closest thing I've ever had to a daughter is gone. I'll never see her again, and she might even be dead. There's nothing I can do about it.


	9. Coming Home

**A/N: Sorry the chapter is so late! These last few days have been hectic, and the teachers decided to pile on the homework.**

**~DW~**

"Twelve hours, you said?" The Doctor grins and nods.

"Yep."

"Alright," I say looking at him pointedly. "No running off, you. I'm just gonna pop in and see my mum, that's all. I won't be long. Then we're back in space, okay?" He nods again, and I turn back to the Estate, jogging up the stairs and to the front door of the flat. Taking my key out, I unlock the door and walk inside.

"Mum, I'm back!" I call. Mum races out to the hallway from the kitchen, looking even more shocked than when I told her about my wings, holding a cup of tea. "What's going on? Is something wrong?" I ask. She drops the cup, and it shatters.

"_Rose?_" she gasps. "Oh my god, Rose! It's you, it's really you!" She runs to me, jumping into my arms and hanging on for dear life, sobbing.

"What is going on?" I ask aloud, not expecting a response. Suddenly the Doctor races inside.

"Um, Rose? It's not been twelve hours. It's been twelve months. You've been gone an entire year," he says apologetically.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" I mutter.

**~DW~**

Once we've gotten past all the drama (and by drama, I mean Mum slapping the Doctor and going off on an angry rampage) I sit with her at the kitchen table.

"Rose, really, who is that man? Please, tell me. What could be so bad that you can't tell me?" Mum begs. She lowers her voice. "He's with the School, isn't he? Have they done something else to you? Did they hurt you again? If they did, I swear…"

"Mum! He's not with the School, I promise," I tell her. "Really, he asked me to come travelling with him, and I did. Simple as that."

"You didn't phone once. Did you even think about me?" Mum cries softly.

"The whole time," I reply just as softly.

"Then why can't you tell me where you were?"

I don't have an answer.

About an hour later, Mum gets in the shower to cool off for a bit, and I sit on the roof with the Doctor.

"What do I tell her?" I ask. "How do I even begin to explain? I missed an entire year…was it good? Did I miss out?"

"Eh," the Doctor shrugs.

"You're no help."

"Does this mean you aren't coming back with me?"

I'm torn. Everything the Doctor has shown me is so wonderful. How could anyone give that up, ever? But Mum…

"I can't do this to her again. She's done so much for me, I could never put her through it knowingly. But I don't want to give this up, it's fantastic, I mean, a once in a lifetime chance, even rarer than that!" I say. I look at him, noticing his red cheek, and smile slightly.

"What are you smiling for? Last I heard you were contemplating a major life decision!" he says.

I can't hold it in anymore, I burst out laughing. "She _slapped_ you!"

"Nine hundred years, I've lived, and never has anyone's mother slapped me before," he comments.

"And on top of that, she thinks you're what, forty, give or take five years? You're nine freaking hundred…"

Suddenly there's a streak in the sky.

"Fantastic! Some action, finally!" the Doctor cries, as the spaceship strikes Big Ben.

"We've been here for like, three hours," I tell him.

"Exactly! Feels like forever. Time for some investigating!"

"You know the streets are gonna be blocked off, right? And with all the crowds, you probably wouldn't be able to make it there if you tried," I say. The Doctor's face falls, before taking on a thinking expression.

"You know we can just watch it on the TV, like everyone else?"

We race downstairs and turn on the television, and pay close attention as they ramble on. "Stay inside! Don't panic! We're working on it!" After a while, it got tiring, and I help Mum make tea. I'm bringing a cup over to the Doctor when something catches my attention.

"It's unconfirmed, but a body has been found in the wreckage, supposedly of extra terrestrial origin…"

"Did he just say what I think he just said?" I ask, looking toward the Doctor. "Why is it, you show up in my life, and when I come home, to Earth, all of a sudden it's _aliens!_"

Later that night, I catch the Doctor wandering off, clearly wanting to avoid all the people Mum has called over to the flat.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I don't do domestic."

I gaze at him for a moment, distrusting. "Just, please promise me you won't go disappearing?"

The Doctor looks thoughtful for a moment, before digging around in his pocket. My eyes widen when his arms slides in up to his elbow.

"Are you freaking serious? Your _pockets_ are bigger on the inside too?" He just smiles and pulls his arm back out, a silver chain hanging in his hand. He gives it to me, and I hold it up to the street light so I can see it better.

"A TARDIS key?" I say disbelievingly. "You're giving me a TARDIS key?"

"It's about time you had one. You're an official companion, now," he says, grinning. "I promise I won't leave without you. I'll be back." He walks off into the night, leaving me clutching the silver chain. I glance down again at the key in my fist, before sliding the chain around my neck and hiding it under my shirt. It feels like it was meant to be there. I feel special, like I'm a part of something important, but it's different than the whole 'It's up to you to save the world!' speech Jeb continuously gave me. I feel like I'm part of something beautiful.

**~DW~**

Things are suddenly silent when the door slams open. Someone walks into the flat.

Mickey.

"I was going to come see you," I say quietly.

"Were you though?" he says bitterly, nodding his head in the direction of the kitchen. I follow him in.

"I was worried sick about you for the first few weeks, worried that the School had gotten you, that you were suffering, then I gave up. You hadn't come back; it had been how many months? I thought you were _dead_ Rose. Actually, properly _dead._ Whatever happened to the Doctor anyway? I just saw him get in that police box and leave," Mickey rants.

"Mickey, I really am sorry…" I pause. "Wait. Did you just say that…?"

"He left? Yeah!" Mickey cries. I grab my jacket off the hook on the wall and race outside to the empty lot.

"He promised me," I whisper, trying not to cry. "He said he wouldn't leave without me." I know I've only been travelling with the Doctor for a little while, but it feels like lifetimes, and in a way, it has been. I thought I was more important than that. I'm turning back to walk inside when I hear the sound of the TARDIS. A huge smile crosses my face.

"I knew it! I knew he wouldn't leave without me!" Mickey and Mum have followed me outside, and they stare at the TARDIS as it materializes in front of us.

I rush inside. The Doctor looks up from the TARDIS screen. "Sorry, I just had to go check it out. Big Ben, spaceship, how long is this opportunity going to come along?" His eyes move to Mickey and Mum behind me.

"Rose, what is going _on_?" Mum cries.

"Doctor!" Mickey says angrily. "You took her away! It's your fault!"

"Good," the Doctor moans sarcastically. "A domestic!"

"You don't even remember my name, do you?"

"Ricky."

"_Mickey_."

"That was a real spaceship?" I interrupt, not wanting an argument to break out. I walk over next to the Doctor and look at the screen.

"That's an awful invasion plan," Mickey cuts in. "They put the entire world on red alert."

The Doctor is under the TARDIS console a few minutes later, doing whatever he does under there. Mickey and I lean against the wall on the other side of the room.

"You're not going to stay, are you?" he says.

"Mickey…"

"It's alright, Rose, really. I didn't even know you for the first fourteen years of your life. I just always assumed you were happy, because you looked it…but now, in comparison, you're glowing. Adventure, adrenaline…that really keeps you going, doesn't it?" I smile weakly.

"You have no idea, Mick."

The Doctor stands up abruptly, checking the screen again, before muttering to himself.

"What is it?" I ask.

"The spaceship came from Earth," he says. "It went up and came back down."

"Did you just say it came from Earth?" Mickey asks.

**~DW~**

An hour later, I've been arrested, escorted to Downing Street, and mobbed by paparazzi. I let out a sigh of relief when we get inside the building. The Doctor looks at me.

"You okay?"

"I'm not one for crowds. Or attention, for that matter."

The guards lead us up some stairs to a doorway, and a man hands the Doctor an ID card.

"Sorry, your companion doesn't have clearance," he says, referring to me.

"Talk about me like I'm not here, why don't you?" I mutter to myself. A woman walks up.

"That's alright, I'll keep her company. I don't have clearance either." She turns to me, flashing an ID card. "Harriet Jones, MP, Flydale North."

**~DW~**

"What was your name?" Harriet asks as we walk down the hall.

"Rose Tyler," I say. She looks at me for a moment.

"Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be sure of my own_ name_?" I laugh.

"Aliens aren't the only thing I investigate," Harriet says carefully. She pulls out a paper from one of her files. "I investigate all government secrets. I've been spending a lot of time lately on this." She gives me the paper.

My heart stops when I look at it. There, right on it is my picture, wings and all. Written underneath is all my experiment information.

_Maximum Ride, human-avian hybrid. 98% human, 2% bird. Brown hair, brown eyes…_

The list goes on, but I stop reading.

"How did you find this?" I ask, deadly calm. "Or did they give it to you? Are you working for them?" I back against a cabinet.

"Maximum, I promise you, I'm not. I work _against_ the School. What they did to you is not right, and I intend to help put a stop to it."

"Rose. My name is Rose," I whisper. Harriet nods.

"Your name is Rose."

I step away from the cabinet, but my jacket gets caught on the door, and it opens. A body falls out. The Prime Minister.

The same man from before who said I didn't have clearance walks in, gasping, and behind him follows another woman, shorter and overweight.

"But he was driven away from Downing Street this morning!" the clearance man cries.

"And who told you that?" asks the woman, before smiling wickedly and reaching up to brush her hair off her forehead. "Me."

She pulls what looks like a zipper across her forehead, before basically taking off her skin. It's extremely gross, but really, I've seen worse. A tall, fat, green-skinned alien stands in front of us. The creature roars, grabbing the man between its claws and pinning him to the wall, strangling him. I go to attack, but Harriet holds me back.

"Let go of me!" I shout.

"It will kill you, Rose!"

We watch as the monster strangles him. I could swear I hear evil laughter from the other room.


	10. Slitheen

**A/N: This chapter's a bit longer than usual, lucky you. Ad I want to thank all my reviewers. Everything you say really helps me make this better and motivates me to keep writing, even though I would probably do it anyway.**

**~DW~**

Suddenly it's like the monster is being electrocuted, and I can see the energy around her as she screeches in pain, dropping the man's body. I take Harriet's hand and run, dragging her along with me. She can't take her eyes off the scene.

"Harriet, don't look!" Finally the woman listens to me and runs along with me out of the room. We race down the corridor, until Harriet stops suddenly. She runs back in the direction of the cabinet room we just came from.

"Harriet, are you crazy? Where are you going?" I cry, following her.

"The Emergency Protocols, we need them to stop them! They're in the cabinet!"

The alien comes around the corner again, forcing us to go in a different direction. I shut doors behind me as we run along, but nothing stands in her way. The next doorknob I try is locked.

"Hurry! Get it open!" Harriet says desperately.

"Stand back!" I tell her, backing up before expertly kicking the door open. Sometimes being a bird kid comes in handy. In the next room, the lift doors open to reveal the Doctor, who smiles.

"Hello!" he says pleasantly. I give him a look before dragging Harriet off in another direction, while the closing lift doors distracted the alien. We keep running until we reach a dead end.

"Well," I mutter, "I would tell you to hide, but there's really nowhere to go." Both of us make an attempt anyway. I squeeze myself behind a cabinet.

"Ah, little humans!" The alien calls out. "Come on, come to me! Let me kiss you and make it better…"

At that point, I have to keep myself from barfing. Kissed by an alien like that? Can you spell _ew_? I bolt from behind the cabinet to behind a curtain.

Two more aliens enter the room.

"Ah, my brothers, I've been waiting for you," says the one that's been chasing us.

"Happy hunting?" another says.

"Absolutely wonderful. Can't you just smell the sweat and fear?"

I glance across the room at Harriet, whose mouth hangs open in horror.

"The old, frail girl, with brittle bones…can you smell her?"

"And a nice young bird, all hormones and adrenaline…" _Tell me it's just a coincidence that she used the word "bird"._

I yelp when the curtain is yanked aside, and Harriet jumps out from her hiding spot. I'm getting ready to throw a punch when the door is smashed in.

It's the Doctor, armed with a freaking _fire extinguisher_. He sprays foam into their faces.

"Come on, with me!" he yells. "Out!"

I go for my plan B, yanking the curtain down and tossing it over the alien's head, smirking as I watch her struggle. Then I run behind the Doctor. Harriet joins me.

"And you are?" the Doctor asks.

"Harriet Hones, MP for Flydale North."

"Lovely to meet you."

"Likewise."

We run.

**~DW~**

We make it to the cabinet room before the aliens catch up, and I don't have time to close the door. The Doctor takes out his sonic and buzzes at a bottle of brandy.

"I've increased the flammability of this by three hundred percent. You take one step closer; we all go up in flames. Question time. What exactly are the Slitheen?"

_So that's what they're called_, says a small part of my brain.

"They're aliens," Harriet says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Thanks Harriet. That was _brand new_ information," I mutter sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"What are you, if not human?" one of the Slitheen says.

"Wait, who isn't human?" Harriet says, glancing at me quickly, as if to say, _how do they know about you?_

"He isn't human," I say, pointing at the Doctor.

"But, he's got a Northern accent!"

"'Lots of planets have a North,'" I state.

"Can everyone please _be quiet_?" the Doctor says. He turns to the Slitheen. "Why is the Slitheen race here, invading Earth?"

"Slitheen is not our species," says one of them. "It is our surname. I am Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer Day Slitheen."

"A family business!" the Doctor exclaims, and suddenly everything makes sense to him while Harriet and I stare on blankly.

"You said you device triplicates the flammability?" says a Slitheen.

"I did?"

"You made it up!"

"It was a nice try," the Doctor says. "Here Harriet, have a drink. You're going to need it."

"Hey Doctor, here's an idea. Let's try _running_," I suggest as the Slitheen step forward.

The Doctor ignores me, going off on a rant about Downing Street.

"You know, in 1730, this was occupied by a man named Mr. Chicken. Nice man, he was. This was the cabinet room in 1796, and if the cabinet's in session and in danger, these are the four safest walls in the whole of Great Britain." He steps back, pressing a switch on the wall, taking me and Harriet with him. Every entry to the room slams shut, covered by sheets of metal.

"See!" the Doctor says proudly. "They can't get in here now!"

"Yeah?" I counter. "How do _we _get out?"

**~DW~**

The Doctor moves the body of the man from earlier, out of the way so we don't have to look at the poor man.

"So what have we got?" he asks. "Terminals? Anything?"

"No, this place is ancient," I answer distractedly. "But my question is, if they killed the Prime Minister, why didn't they use him as a suit? It'd be easier, they'd have ultimate control."

"He's too slim. Did you see the size of those things? They couldn't fit it such a thin body," the Doctor replies. "Those things around their necks, those are compression fields. That's how they squeeze into the suits. But there's the consequence of the gas exchange."

"They should sell those things, they'd make a fortune off all the people who want to fit a size smaller," I comment. Harriet gives me a look.

"Sorry, you get used to these things after you spend a while with him," I says, jerking my thumb at the Doctor scanning the walls.

Suddenly the Doctor turns. "Harriet Jones. Your name is so familiar! You aren't famous or anything, right?"

"Hardly," Harriet snorts. She turns back to the protocols in her hand. "This lists all the people who can help, but they're all dead downstairs."

"Doesn't it have defense codes and things? Can we just launch a bomb or something?" I ask.

"You're a very violent young woman…" Harriet stares.

"Ten guesses why?" I retort, only loud enough so that the Doctor can't hear.

"The School taught you terrible things, and you need to learn to overcome that," Harriet says just as quietly.

"It's not as easy as you might thing. I was built to be a fighter, a soldier. They _made _me to defend the Earth from the apocalypse, they put all those responsibilities on my shoulders, and how am I supposed to just forget that ever happened?" I mutter angrily.

"Well, they don't have codes or anything of the sort. Nuclear strikes need a release code, those are kept secret by the United Nations," Harriet says, speaking normally now. The Doctor stops his scanning.

"Say that again?"

"The British Isles need a special resolution from the UN to access atomic weapons," Harriet explains. "Does that matter?"

"Everything matters," the Doctor says, more to himself than to us.

"The big question is, what do the Slitheen even _want?_" I ask.

"One family isn't going to try and invade the Earth," the Doctor says. "They're out to make money. Earth has something they want.

"Gold? Oil?" Harriet spouts off possibilities and the Doctor looks at her approvingly. We all jump slightly when my phone goes off. Harriet opens her mouth to ask a question, but I hold up a hand to stop her.

"Don't ask." I reach into my pocket and pull out my cell. I open it up, and have a new message from Mickey. He sent me a picture. A picture of a Slitheen.

"Mickey!" I cry when he picks up the phone. "Is Mum alright?"

"That thing, that alien wanted to kill us!" Mickey cries back at me. The Doctor snatches my phone out of my hands.

"Ricky, on the computer, now," he demands.

"Give me back my phone!"

"Mickey the Idiot, I might choke on these words but…I need you." I can't help but smirk.

The Doctor instructs Mickey to go to a few websites, and look things up. Harriet and I sit back, and we're somewhat tuned in, but having our own conversation.

"Rose, what can you tell me about the School?" My eyes meet hers.

"Everything you don't ever want to know," I say solemnly. "They steal kids, or they create them. They experiment on them. Iggy, he was like my brother…they made him blind. They experimented on his eyes; he was awake the whole time. Angel, she can read minds. I can summon fire at will, nothing can burn me. We can do so many amazing, impossible things, but the responsibility and the suffering that they put us through? It's not worth it. It will never be worth it."

Harriet looks horrified. "That's…"

"I know."

I turn back over to the Doctor, not wanting to talk about it anymore. He's telling Mickey how he was born in the dark.

"Oh, leave him," I say playfully, whacking his arm.

"Why did the Slitheen hit Big Ben?" the Doctor wonders aloud.

"They were in hiding, and now they've put the world on red alert. What for?"

"Listen to yourself!" I hear Mum cry from the other end of the phone.

"Hey, at least I'm trying!" I exclaim.

"Well, I've got a question for you, because ever since that man came into our lives, I've been attacked, terrified for my life, and my daughter disappeared off the face of the Earth…"

"I told you what happened!"

"Cause I've seen this life you have Doctor, and maybe you get a kick out of it, and that's good for you, but answer me this – is my daughter safe?"

The Doctor stares at the phone, and I stare at him, and suddenly everything freezes. I'm not safe, and I know it. That's part of the reason I love it.

"Well?"

"We're in," comes Mickey, breaking the silence. I swear, his hacking skills are almost as good as Nudge was.

The Doctor gives Mickey more instructions, telling him to click on this and that. I hear the doorbell ringing over the phone.

"Mick, it's three in the morning, who's at your door?"

"I don't know. Jackie, would you get it?"

Mum comes back squealing. "That thing, the Slickeen, it found us!"

"I need that signal, Mickey, the message their ship is giving, I have to decode it!" the Doctor cries.

"Forget the bloody message!" I shout. "Get out of there, both of you!"

"It's blocking the front door, Rose."

"Think of something!" Harriet rounds on the Doctor. "You're the alien genius!"

"I'm trying!"

"Doctor! That's my mother! You've got to help her!"

"We need to find the Slitheen's weakness. I need to figure out what planet they're from. So, face and shape narrows it down to five thousand planets within travelling distance. Give me more information!"

"They're green. Good sense of smell," I say.

"Narrows it down."

"They can smell adrenaline."

"Good."

"The compression technology!" Harriet cuts in.

"Narrows it down."

"They hunt like it's a ritual."

"Narrows it down."

"Oh! Did you notice, how, when they – if you'll pardon the word – fart, it's more like…" Harriet starts.

"Bad breath!" I cry.

"Calcium decay!" the Doctor cries. "Now _that_ narrows it down!" I can practically see the gears in his brain turning. "Raxicoricofallapatorius!"

"Raxi-what now?" I say blankly. "You can't be freaking serious."

"Great," says Mickey. "We can write them a letter."

"Vinegar, Mickey! Have you got vinegar in the kitchen?" There's rattling around on the other end of the phone.

"Cupboard by the sink, middle shelf!" I shout, because I know more about Mickey's kitchen than he does.

For the next minute or so, I can't figure out what's going on in Mickey's flat. Then there's a bang.

"Eeewww!" shrieks Mum, and I laugh with relief.

**~DW~**

"Hey, listen to this," Mickey says, holding the phone up to the television. One of the Slitheen, in their skin suit, is going on about nuclear weapons.

The Doctor cuts in. "He's lying," he says simply. "There are no weapons, he made it up."

"Well, they believed him last time, they'll believe him again," Harriet says.

"That's it! That's why the Slitheen made a show! They want the world to panic, because when humans get scared, they lash out," the Doctor cries.

"They'll release the defense codes!" I realize. The Doctor turns and opens the metal doors.

"You get the codes, release the missiles, but not into space, there's nothing actually out there. You attack every other country on the planet. You start World War III.

"But _why_?" I ask.

"Profit. Earth gets destroyed, reduced to a chunk of rock; we can sell it piece by piece. Radioactive chunks that can be used for power. The rock becomes raw fuel," the woman Slitheen says, back in her skin suit.

"And now I'll give you a choice," the Doctor says. "Leave the planet, or I stop you."

She laughs, nervously, but when the Doctor closes metal shutters on her, every trace of a smile fades from her face.

**~DW~**

Mum is on the phone again, and we debate ways out. Harriet and I come up with several ideas, all flawed. The Doctor cuts in.

"There's a way out," he says. "There has been the whole time."

"Why didn't you do anything?" I ask incredulously. He walks over to the phone.

"Because, Jackie, your daughter might not be safe."

"Don't you dare!"

"Mum! If he doesn't, everyone _dies_! Hold on," I say, grabbing the phone and putting it on speaker, before walking to the corner.

"Mum," I say quietly, "all my life, I thought I was going to have to sacrifice my life for the School, for what they thought was the greater good. I suffered for so long, because _they_ needed me to. Now I have a choice. I can sacrifice myself for what _I believe in_. I love you, I do, but you need to understand that as much as you mean to me, some things just have to be done. The Flock, we did so many great things, but we lost some along the way. There's always a price, and my life is a small one to pay. I'm so sorry. I love you." I hang up before she can say anything. I've never been one for goodbyes. I walk back over to the Doctor and set the phone on the table, looking in his eyes.

"Do it."

"You don't even know what it is, you'd just let me?"

"Yeah." I've only known him for a few days, and I already trust him with my life. He's earned my trust faster than anyone else ever has.

"I could save the world but lose you," he says, and I've never been so touched in my entire life. I've never felt so special, so important, never understood what it felt like to be cared for on this level.

"Then, Doctor, I believe it's my job to command you. Do it," Harriet demands.

"So what do we do?" I ask. "How do we get out?"

"We don't, we stay here," he replies. He opens up the protocol folder. He calls back Mickey, and gives him some more instructions. And he launches a missile at Downing Street.

"Okay!" I say, taking leadership action. "Surviving an explosion is just like surviving an earthquake. Under a doorframe! The cupboard is small, so it's strong!" We bundle in the cupboard.

"Nice knowing you both," Harriet says. We brace ourselves, and the entire building explodes in flames.

**~DW~**

I don't think any of us believe it when we make it out alive. Harriet has gone off to see if she can help fix things up, and the Doctor and I walk back to the Powell Estate. He enters the TARDIS and I go inside to Mum.

"Rose!" Mum clings to me for dear life, and I hug her right back. "I'm ready to listen."

I start from the plastic mannequins, and end with the current conversation. My phone rings a while after I'm done, when we sit in front of the TV.

"We can leave in a couple of hours, okay?" the Doctor says.

"You have a phone?" It seems so…normal.

"Yes, I have a phone. A couple of hours, okay?"

"Will you come inside, for dinner? Mum wants to get to know you."

"There's a plasma storm brewing in the horse head nebula right now. Tea with your mother, of that? Your choice," he says before hanging up.

I race to my room and shove some clothes in a bag. Mum shows up a few minutes later.

"Please don't go, sweetheart."

"I have to, Mum. I'm sorry. I love you, but I have to. And it's a time machine, I could be gone for years and be back in ten seconds!"

Little did I know, my mother counted out the seconds, before walking back inside alone.


	11. Dalek

**A/N: I know that a lot of the Dalek's dialogue is the same, and here's my excuse: I can't get into the mind of a Dalek and change what they are going to say as easily as I can for, say, the Doctor. I don't really think anyone can get into the mind of a Dalek, unless they're truly that evil.**

**~DW~**

I follow the Doctor out of the TARDIS, to what's _supposed _to be an alien planet. He hasn't taken me to one yet. Instead I step out into a dark corridor that I could find on Earth if I really wanted to.

"Doctor? You said you were taking me to an alien planet!"

"I know! There's a signal coming from here, pulling the TARDIS off course. Now, where are we…?"

He pulls out the sonic and spins in a circle, holding it out in front of him, and if I'm honest, it looks absolutely ridiculous. The lights come on.

"There we are!" he says, and we look around. The hall is lined with display cases, and I don't recognize any artifacts. One catches my eye, and I walk over to it, absolutely disgusted.

"Must be a museum," comments the Doctor, walking over to inspect a chunk of metal. I point to my display case.

"Doctor? That's a Slitheen arm. That is a _stuffed _Slitheen arm. Where in the world do you get a stuffed Slitheen arm from? Who the hell would _want _a stuffed Slitheen arm?"

"Oh! Look at that!"

"Hmm? What's that?" The Doctor is standing in front of another display case, which holds something that looks like a robot head.

"Old friend…or, enemy…but what's it doing in a museum? Am I really getting that old?" He taps the glass, and an alarm goes off. Seconds later, we're surrounded by soldiers who are pointing guns at us.

"Nice going."

The guards lead us through several hallways, and I subconsciously keep track of the turns we make just in case we need to run for it. They lead us into a room where two men are talking.

"What does it do?" says the one who I assume is the boss.

"The tubes on the side must be to channel something, so maybe it's fuel…"

"Wouldn't hold it like that if I were you," the Doctor interrupts. A woman tells him to shut up. "But it's wrong!" I roll my eyes. "It looks silly!" I look at him, saying it all with one glare. He holds out a hand, and there are several guns pointed at his head. The boss guy holds up a hand before handing it to the Doctor.

"The key is to be gentle," he explains, running his fingers over the metal piece carefully, and it emits a music note much like a harmonica. I would say it's impressive, but he really doesn't need the ego boost.

The Doctor hands the artifact back to the boss, who makes several failed attempts to play the instrument before tossing it aside. My eyes widen. Why would you just toss something like that?

"Who are you?" the boss asks.

"I'm the Doctor. And you are?"

The boss snorts. "As if you don't know. We're hidden away with the most valuable alien artifacts in the world and you ended up here by mistake?"

"That's him in a nutshell," I reply.

"Oh! She's English too!" exclaims the boss. He turns to the other younger man who had the artifact before. "Found you a girlfriend!"

"This is Mr. Henry Van Statten," says the man uncomfortably. "I'm Adam; I assist Mr. Van Statten in collecting alien artifacts."

"I own the Internet," Van Statten says smugly. I roll my eyes.

"Don't be an idiot, nobody owns the Internet…right?" I ask, turning to the Doctor.

"So you know everything about anything but the artifacts in your museum here," the Doctor summarizes. "You lock these things up because they scare you, because you don't understand them."

"You think you know better?" Van Statten sneers.

"He does," I retort.

"Yet I've captured you both, right next to the cage as well! What were you doing down there?" he demands.

"You tell me," I say calmly, slipping into my routine. Turn the interrogation around, get answers instead of giving them.

"The cage contains my living specimen."

"Let me see it," the Doctor demands.

"You want to, don't you?"

"Blimey, both of you! We get it! You're tough!" I say, rolling my eyes. I catch Adam smirking out of the corner of my eye.

"Goddard," Van Statten tells the woman, "inform the cage that we're on our way down."

"English, look after the girl. Canoodle, or spoon, or whatever it is you British do. You, Doctor…come and see my pet."

**~DW~**

"This is your workshop?" I ask Adam, observing all the cluttered papers and spare pieces of metal and plastic. It's basically a junkyard. A useful junkyard, but a junkyard.

"Sorry about the mess, I just do my own thing most of the time, as long as I deliver the goods; Mr. Van Statten is okay with it." I poke around at a few things, wires, mostly. I could never understand any of this stuff.

"You must be some sort of genius, then."

Adam laughs. "I try. Here, what do you think this is?" He hands me something.

"This," I say expertly, "is a chunk of useless metal."

"Well…yeah. But I think it may have come from a spacecraft." I place the lump of metal down on the desk. "You see," Adam continues, "it's all true. You know, everything you thought wasn't true about aliens, and invasions, it's all real!"

"Wow," I say, trying to sound surprised and amazed. This guy has no idea. "So, what exactly is your job?"

"I catalogue alien life," he explains.

"How did you end up here?"

"Mr. Van Statten has agents all over the place. I got recruited from this place called the School."

"_What?_" Adam looks at me.

"There's this place called the School. They experiment, on, well, humans…and I was one of them. They did something that increased my mental capacity, and basically, I turned into a genius overnight."

"You're an experiment too?" I ask in wonder.

"Wait, you're from the School too? What did they give you?" he asks excitedly. I frown. Adam is _way _too excited about this.

"Well, um…wings. I can fly," I tell him.

"That's so cool!"

"Sometimes it is, yeah, but other times…I just feel like a mutant freak, you know? People look at me like I'm a monster. That's why I never tell anybody…speaking of which, _please _don't mention this to the Doctor?" I beg.

"I won't breathe a word, I promise," he says, drawing an X over his heart.

"God, I would _kill_ to know what's going on down there," I mutter.

"Lucky you, you got stuck with the guy who patched into the comms system," Adam smiles wickedly. My eyes light up. He reaches over and turns on his computer screen.

I watch a man approach a robot that looks like a giant pepper shaker, with a plunger and a whisk for arms. This is the alien? The man attacks it, and it stands defenseless.

"Oh my god, they're torturing it! You just stand here and watch this?" I turn to Adam accusingly. "After what you witnessed in the School, you stand here and watch this, and it's all just fine and dandy?"

"I had no idea, I swear!"

"Get me down there, Adam. Now."

**~DW~**

I storm into the room with the door that leads to the cage, right past the guard.

"Hold up!" cries a guard, but Adam just flashes his ID card angrily.

"Level three access, permission from Mr. Van Statten."

We stride right past the guards and into the cage. I stare at the creature, pity clear in my features. Nothing, alien, human, or otherwise, should ever have to be treated like that.

"Don't get too close," Adam warns from behind me, and I roll my eyes. For a kid from the school, he sure isn't as tough as the Flock.

I walk up to the alien slowly and peer into the piece that looks like its eye.

"Hello?" I say carefully. "Are you in pain? My name's Rose, Rose Tyler, I've got a friend who can help. He's called the Doctor. What's your name?"

"YES," it replies electronically.

I'm startled, because for some reason I hadn't been expecting an answer. "What?"

"I – AM – IN – PAIN." It raises its eyepiece and I look at it sympathetically. "THEY – TOR – TURED – ME. THEY – FEAR – ME. DO – YOU – FEAR – ME?"

"No," I say softly. "I'm not afraid of you. I'm so sorry."

"I – AM – DY – ING."

"No!" I cry. "There's got to be a way I can help you!"

"I – WEL – COME – DEATH. I – AM – GLAD – THAT – BE – FORE – I – DIE – I – MET – A – HU – MAN – WHO – WAS – NOT – A – FRAID."

"Oh," I gasp sadly. A memory creeps up on me.

**FLASHBACK**

The smell of medicine and cleaning alcohol is too much. My eyes water and my hair flies behind me as I run down the halls, desperate to escape the cruel whitecoats. I'm exhausted and hurting, but I run.

I go through random doors, because as great as my sense of direction is, there's no way I can navigate my way around this place, and I need to find the Flock ASAP. I fling open a door and lock it behind me, leaning against it for a moment of rest. Whimpering from the corner of the room meets my ears, and I walk closer to see if it's Angel or Nudge.

"Hello?" More whimpers. I walk closer, and as my eyes adjust to the dark I can make out a small, trembling figure. It's a girl with black, wavy hair, and pale green eyes. She hugs her knees. Her face is tear-streaked, and she's dirty and bruised, just like me.

"What's your name?" I ask softly. She coughs, and I notice the blood staining her shirt. "Are you okay? What happened to you? What did they do?"

"I'm expiring," she chokes out, and it's no louder than a whisper.

"I drop to my knees next to her, reaching a hand out tentatively. She leans toward my touch, and I wrap my arms around the poor girl.

"What's your name?" I ask again, and she shakes her head.

"I don't have one."

"Well, then, let's give you one," I say, trying not to cry. "Any ideas?"

"No."

"How about Sarah?" I look down at her and she smiles slightly.

"Sarah," she whispers. "I like Sarah." She starts to cough violently.

"Hey! Sarah! We just gave you a name, right? You can't expire now, come on! I can get you out of here, with my friends! They're trapped here too! You can come with us, we can be happy…"

"It's okay," she says softly. "I'm happy. I'm not going to suffer anymore. They can't hurt me." A tear falls down my cheek, as she coughs again, closing her eyes. A feel her pulse until it stops, and I lay her down on the ground carefully.

I'm never going to forget Sarah, the Flock member that never was.

**END FLASHBACK**

No creature should ever feel the need to accept death like that. To be okay with it, because no one can hurt them anymore.

"There's got to be something I can do," I insist.

"MY – RACE – IS – DEAD. I – WILL – DIE – A – LONE."

I lay a hand on the cool metal of the alien, before it glows hot red and I pull my hand away.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Adam yelps. I nod.

"Yeah, can't be burned, it's a mutant thing," I say quickly, brushing it off as the alien starts to rattle in its chains. Its tone changes when it speaks, from sad to angry.

"GEN – ET – IC – MAT – ER – IAL – EX – TRAP – O – LATED. INIT – IATE – CELLU – LAR – RE – CON – STRUC – TION!" My eyes widen.

"What have you done?" A guard races in as the alien breaks out of its chains. Adam backs up, pulling me with him out of the room. We watch on the screen. The plunger attached to the alien reaches up toward the guard's face and he laughs. Then, basically, he got plungered to death. Which technically wasn't a proper term until I made it up just now.

Another guard shouts into a speaker. "Red alert! Repeat, red alert! This is not a drill!"

**~DW~**

"Keep it in that cell!" the Doctor shouts over the computer. I race over to the web cam.

"Doctor, what did I do? What did I do wrong?" I ask.

"The compartment is sealed. It can't get out, that lock's got a billion combinations," says the guard.

"A Dalek can calculate a thousand billion combinations in one second flat," the Doctor says solemnly.

I stand next to Adam with security, and the door swings open in no time. They let out open fire on the Dalek, and I scan the room for an extra gun. I don't see any and sigh angrily. What's a girl got to do to help?

"Rose, get out of there!" the Doctor shouts. I look at him and take in how worried he is. I've never seen him like that, and if he's so concerned, maybe I _should _leave…

"With me," says De Magio, one of the female guards. Adam and I follow her out of the room. We run past another bunch of guards, through the halls. I find my way to a flight of stairs.

"That's more like it!" With Adam on my heels, we race to the first landing. I turn back to De Magio. "Are you coming?"

"It's coming! Get up!" she cries. She meets us up at the landing. The Dalek comes in and stops at the bottom of the stairs. I smile with relief

"What, big alien death machine defeated by a flight of stairs?" Adam mocks from beside me.

"I demand that you return to your cage," De Magio commands. "Mr. Van Statten will be willing to negotiate, if you wish. Yes, we imprisoned you, and that was wrong, but people have died and that stops right now. The killing stops. Understood?" The Dalek says nothing in response. "I demand that you surrender, is that clear?"

"EL – EV – ATE."

The Dalek rises in the air and up the first few stairs.

"Adam, get her out of here," De Magio demands.

"Come with us, you can't stop it!" I cry.

"Someone has to try." Adam drags me up the rest of the stairs. I hear De Magio's scream from the corridor, and wince. We run.

We end up in the middle of a hall, not knowing which way to turn, and when I look to my left, there's a bunch of soldiers standing by with their guns pointed in our direction.

"You two get the hell out of there!" the commander shouts. We make it outside the door the moment the Dalek comes into view. I stop for a moment and watch it, and it stops as well. It focuses on my face and turns in our direction.

"Why was it looking at me?"

"Maybe because it wants to slaughter us?" Adam suggests.

"No! It was looking _right at _me."

"It's a chunk of metal that's trying to kill us. I_ seriously _doubt it was looking at you."

"Really!" I insist. "I don't know, like there's something _inside _the metal, looking at me…like it knows me."

Adam pulls my arm and takes off running again, and I follow. Not that long after, my mobile starts ringing.

"Not the best time!" I yell to the Doctor.

"Where are you?" he says urgently.

"Level 49," I say, glancing at the sign on the wall.

"Keep moving. I need you to make it to Level 46 as soon as possible, Rose. The vault doors are going to close."

"Can't you stop them?"

"I'm the one closing them. I can't wait for you. I can't help you. Now, run!"

Adam and I pick up speed, if even possible.

"Adam," I shout to him, putting my hand over the phone speaker so the Doctor won't hear, "how fast can you go?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, the School give you super speed or something?"

"I wish!"

Well, it was worth a shot. I pick the phone back up to my ear.

"We're nearly there! Give us two seconds!"

The bulkhead lowers, and Adam is a bit faster than me. He rolls under it just in time, while I nearly run into it. The Doctor shouts to me from the other end of the phone and I lean on the cool metal, breathing heavily.

"Sorry," I say quietly. "I was a bit slow." I turn to see the Dalek rounding the corner.

"See you then, Doctor. I'm sorry. Thank you, for everything. And remember, it wasn't your fault, alright? I wouldn't have missed it for the world." I turn to face the Dalek, and prepare to be exterminated.

"Go on, kill me then," I say, somewhat annoyed by the fact that this freaking Dalek won't just exterminate me and get it over with. "Why are you doing this?"

"I – AM – ARMED. I – WILL – KILL. IT – IS – MY – PUR – POSE."

"You killed all those people. And now what? What are you waiting for? There's got to be a reason I'm still alive right now!"

"I – FEEL – YOUR – FEAR."

I'm confused. The Dalek is afraid? "What do you expect?"

"DAL – EKS – DO – NOT – FEAR. MUST – NOT – FEAR."

Suddenly its death ray goes off on rampage, wildly shooting at the wall.

"I – AM – CON – TAM – IN – ATED!"

**~DW~**

I face the Dalek's screen and almost sigh with relief when the Doctor's face appears on it.

"Rose! You're alive!" he cries, and the relief and happiness in his voice is evident. I smile.

"Can't get rid of me!" I joke.

"I thought you were dead," he says, clearly hurt. I look into his eyes and see the worry.

"OP – EN – THE – BULK – HEAD!"

"Don't do it, Doctor," I say calmly. "I'm not worth it."

"WHAT – ARE – EM – OT – IONS – IF – YOU – WILL – NOT – SAVE – THE – WO – MAN – YOU – LOVE?"

Disbelief takes over my features. The Doctor? Love me? Never in a million years. It kills me to admit it, but yeah, maybe I like the Doctor. A lot. Maybe it's just enough to call it love. But he could never feel the same way.

"Rose Tyler, you are most definitely worth it. I killed you once. I can't do it again."

The bulkhead opens slowly, and I walk through it with the Dalek following. It directs me into the lift, and I must say, the atmosphere is not only tense, but _extremely_ awkward.

"Please don't kill them," I say quietly, and its eyepiece spins around to look at me. "You didn't kill me."

"WHY – NOT? WHY – ARE – YOU – A – LIVE? I – AM – MADE – TO – KILL. WHAT – AM – I? WHAT – AM – I?"

The lift door opens to reveal Van Statten.

"Don't move. Don't talk. Don't do anything," I tell him. "It's questioning itself."

"YOU – TOR – TUR – ED – ME. WHY?"

"I wanted to help you," Van Statten says nervously. "I thought if we could get through to you…I'm sorry…" The Dalek advances on him, backing him against the wall. I look on, angry that I can't do anything.

"EX – TER – MIN – ATE!"

"Don't! Don't kill him!" I burst. The Dalek spins and I look right at it.

"You don't have to kill. There's got to be something else you want, anything!"

"FREE – DOM."

**~DW~ **

I stand next to the Dalek on floor 1 of the base. The Dalek fires its ray at the ceiling and sunlight floods through the hole it made.

"You're out, you made it," I smile, because as much as this creature is evil, it got what it wanted in the end, and it chose not to kill.

"HOW – DOES – IT – FEEL?"

The Dalek opens up its casing to reveal the creature inside. It basically looks like a pile of mush with the eyes sticking out, and tentacles like an octopus. I stare at it until a voice behind me makes me jump.

"Get out of the way, Rose." I turn to see an angry looking Doctor with a gun. Not the best combination. "Get out of the way, now!"

"No," I say calmly. "I won't let you do this."

"That thing killed hundreds of people!"

"It's not the one pointing a gun at me," I say coldly.

"I've got to end this. The Daleks destroyed my home, my people. That thing is the _reason_ I'm the last of my kind. I've got nothing left."

"Look," I tell him, standing aside.

"What is it doing?"

"It wanted the sunlight. All it wanted was the sunlight."

His voice is shaking. "What…but it can't…?"

"It couldn't kill me. It couldn't even kill Van Statten, and he tortured the poor thing! It's changing, for the good! But what are _you_ changing into, Doctor?" I say, motioning toward the gun. He looks down at it, as if he's noticing it for the first time. He looks completely lost for the first time since I've met him.

"I couldn't…I wasn't…" he looks at the Dalek, and back at me, his eyes filled with unshed tears. "They're all dead, Rose."

"WHY – DO – WE – SUR – VIVE?"

"I don't know," the Doctor replies quietly.

"I – AM – THE – LAST – OF – THE – DA – LEKS."

"But you're not. I'm sorry. Rose did more than regenerate you. You absorbed her DNA, you're mutating into something new."

"That's good though, isn't it?" Finally, some natural advancement. The School should take some lessons.

"Not for a Dalek."

"GIVE – ME – OR – DERS!" The Dalek begs. "OR – DER – ME – TO – DIE!"

"I can't do that," I say. I'm torn between pity and disgust.

"O – BEY. O – BEY." For a moment I think of Sarah, and whether or not she's happy with whatever came after death. I think of how she was so ready and willing to die, because she wanted the suffering to end. I think of how the Dalek doesn't need to suffer.

"Do it."

**~DW~**

"Is that the end of it? The Time War?"

"Well, I'm the last one left standing. I win, how about that?" the Doctor jokes weakly, looking at the TARDIS.

"Well, if the Dalek survived, maybe some of your people…" I stop when the Doctor shakes his head.

"I would know."

"Good thing I'm not going anywhere," I smile, trying to cheer him up. He smiles back.

"Yeah."

Adam comes running up to us.

"Goddard says they're gonna fill this place with cement, like it never existed."

I look at the Doctor, and we have an entire conversation with facial expressions while Adam looks on confused.

"On your own head," the Doctor says, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. I fist pump my victory.

We both walk into the TARDIS, and I laugh when I hear Adam outside, sounding genuinely concerned for our sanity.

"Doctor? What're you doing inside a box? Rose?" He finally steps inside, and the Doctor starts up the TARDIS.


	12. Satellite Five

**A/N: Don't kill me, okay? I know this chapter is long overdue, and I have an exscuse. Hurricane Sandy basically smahed my town, and I haven't even had power over the past week and a half. Tons of my friends houses are condemned, there are trees all over…basically, it's not good. **

**~DW~**

I follow the Doctor out of the TARDIS, closing the door behind me, leaving Adam inside. I note the sign that says "Floor 139". Then I look ot the Doctor.

"Year 200,000, space station, go try that gate over there," he says simply, smirking. I smirk too, opening the TARDIS door behind me.

"Adam!" I call. "Come on out!" He steps out of the TARDIS with a dazed look on his face. His mouth is hanging open and he's clearly shocked.

"How…?"

"You get used to it," I tell him.

"Where…?"

"It's the year 200,000, judging by the architecture," I say, coming off as much more intelligent than I actually am. The architecture doen't mean crap to me. "If you listen, you can hear engines, which means we're on some sort of space station. What do you say we try that gate over there?" I stride over to it and throw it open, the Doctor and Adam following.

The room we enter is an observation deck. Through the glass is Earth.

"I think I'll let the Doctor describe this," I trail off, a bit awestruck myself.

The Doctor goes off into his usual rambling explanation, and Adam clings to the railing for support. He sighs, sounding much like a little girl, and I just watch him go down. I glance at the Doctor and we burst into peals of laughter.

"Quite the manly boyfriend you've got there," the Doctor comments.

"He's not my boyfriend anymore," I say.

**~DW~**

"Open your mind, Adam! I have to say, Rose was much more accepting of all this. She just sort of went with it," the Doctor says, walking us along with an arm around each of our shoulders. "This period of history is fantastic, the human race is at its most intelligent, from culture, to politics, to manners…"

"Out of the way!" a man snaps rudely.

"So much for manners," I mutter. "Then again, I'm not one to talk." Then all of a sudden, the floor springs to life. People set up food stools, and everyone is talking. The stall owners take orders and everything is busy. I take a closer look at one of the fast food booths.

"Thought you said earlier this place has, and I quote, 'fine cuisine'," I say pointedly.

"My watch must be wrong…no, actually, its not!" the Doctor claims, looking down at his watch.

I smirk. "That's what you get for being a showoff. Someone needs to go back to history class."

"My history is perfect, thanks very much!"

"Clearly not."

"Where are all the aliens?" Adam pipes up, and I turn, slightly surprised he spoke. I almost forgot he was there.

"Good question. You must be starving, Adam, mate!" the Doctor exclaims.

"Not really…think I might have a case of time sickness…"

The Doctor walks over and sonics a cash point, and something that looks like a metal strip falls out.

"Pocket money for you," he says joyfully. "Don't waste it all!" He walks away.

"How does it work?" he asks, bemused.

"Just throw yourself into it. Make a fool of yourself, there's no getting around it," I tell him.

"Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double, and end up kissing complete strangers, that's my motto!" the Doctor calls. I laugh. Adam looks at him like he's insane. Then again, in his point of view, we probably are.

"Have a nice first date," the Doctor nudges me.

"Shut it," I say. "I don't do dates."

A few minutes later finds me sitting at a crowded table, squeezed next to Adam.

"What are you drinking?" he asks, motioning to my paper cup.

"I think it's like a slush puppy…"

"Flavor?"

I take a swig. "Beef."

"Ew? You can drink that?"

"What can I say, life on the run basically teaches your taste buds to handle whatever you need to survive," I shrug.

"Life on the run?" I give him a look.

"Yeah, life on the run. That's kind of what happens for most of us when we get out of the School. They kept coming after us, we kept running."

"Why did you run in the first place?"

"You mean you _didn't_?" I ask, disbelief coloring my voice.

"No, of course not! They were trying ot help me, I was grateful."

"Adam, they ruined my life. They made me a freak. No one ever looks at me the same once they find out. One of my best friends is blind because of them. So yes, I ran. And I hate them more than anyone else."

"Is that why you haven't told the Doctor?"

"Hmm?"

"You haven't told him about the wings?"

"Oh, no. He'd send me straight back home, he has that option, and I can't. Not after everything I've seen, everything he's shown me…"

"He seems like one of the only blokes in the universe that'd be okay with it. All the rest are mutants like us," Adam points out.

"So, who've you got at home?" It's a lousy attempt at changing the subject, but he goes with it.

"Mum and Dad." Oh. He's one of the lucky ones.

"Do you want to phone them up?" He looks at me weird. I reach into my pocket and toss him my mobile.

"The Doctor replaced the battery with a super-space one or something. I never have to worry about a signal again," I explain.

"Wow…okay…" He dials a number and holds the phone to his ear.

"It's on!" he gasps. "Hi, Mum, it's me…I've gone travelling for a bit, I met these people…I'm fine, I'll call you later. I love you, bye."

Then an alarm goes off.

"Everywhere we go! Never a peaceful trip!" I shout to the Doctor over the crowd when he comes running up.

"You know you love it!" I smile.

**~DW~**

The Doctor leads us to a clean-looking room with several other people, led by Cathica and Suki. I assume it's where they work. A chair is raised up on a platform that's octagon shaped, which Cathica sits in. The rest of the staff sits cross-legged at the edge of the platform. They place their hands on the pads in front of them. I lean against the rail on one side of the Doctor, and Adam is on the other.

"This is a management inspection," Cathica says, "so everyone behave! By the book?" She turns to the Doctor.

"From scratch would be brilliant, if you would." I nudge him with my elbow.

"They think you're management?" I whisper. He nods, smirking. I stifle a laugh.

"Right, my name is Cathica…" and that's all I need to trail off. "And remember, the process of news gathering must be open, honest, and non-biased."

"Actually, it's the law," points out Suki. Can you spell kiss up? I roll my eyes. I've never really liked people like that.

"Thanks for that, Suki," Cathica says, clearly annoyed. She clears her throat and holds up her hand, snapping her fingers. And her head opens up. My eyebrows shoot higher than they've ever been. The Doctor looks somewhat disgusted, and Adam looks a bit green.

The staff places their hands on pads in front of them, and a beam of light comes down and connects with Cathica's head.

"The information is streaming right through her," the Doctor explains. "She's getting reports from all around the universe."

"So, what, is she like, super smart then?" I ask.

The Doctor shakes his head. "No, she'll forget it all once her head closes." He starts walking in circles around the platform, and I follow him. I kneel next to one of the other people transmitting.

"What's up with these guys?"

"They've got chips in their brain, that way they can connect to her. These people transit over six hundred channels. They're beaming out all kinds of information," the Doctor says. "That's what I call power."

I walk up to Adam. "Are you okay? You're really quiet."

"I can see her brain," he states dumbly.

"Well, do you want to leave?"

"No!" he says quickly. "That technology is amazing!"

"It's all wrong," the Doctor says. I smile mischievously.

"Trouble?"

"Oh yeah," he says, smiling right back.

Suddenly, Suki gasps and pulls her hands back from the pad abruptly. The others soon follow. The door to Cathica's head closes and Suki rubs her hands.

"What was that for, Suki? I wasn't halfway done!"

"Sorry, there was probably a glitch," she mutters quietly.

Suddenly, a loudspeaker comes over the room.

"Promotion."

"Please say my name, you've got to say my name, God, let it be me…" Cathica prays. I look at her, mildly concerned. Someone is a bit obsessed with their job.

"Promotion for…Suki Macrae Cantrell. Please proceed to Floor 500." We all turn to look at her as her jaw drops to the floor. Cathica looks extremely annoyed.

"How did you manage that?" she explodes.

"I don't know! Floor 500! Ah!"

**~DW~**

The Doctor stands off to the side, saying goodbye to Suki with Cathica. I walk over to Adam, who's leaning against the wall. He looks out of it…well, he has since we've gotten here.

"It's not that bad, is it?"

He looks up at me. "I need a cool down, pronto." I smile.

"How about you go sit on the observation deck for a while? I could join you, if you like," I suggest.

"No, you stick with the Doctor. It's obviously where you want to be. It'd take someone better than me to come between you two," he says. I turn red. Am I that obvious?

Adam turns to walk off, but I call him back. I dig around in my pocket before pulling out my TARDIS key.

"If it gets to be too much, just head back to the TARDIS."

"Because it's less weird in there," he says sarcastically. He walks off toward the observation deck, and I head back over to the Doctor.

I wave at Suki as the lift doors are closing.

"Good riddance," Cathica mutters.

"Why are you talking like you'll never see her again? She's only headed upstairs," the Doctor points out.

"Once you go to Floor 500, you never come back."

"Have you ever been up there?" I ask.

"You need a key," Cathica says, shaking her head. "You only get a key when you get promoted."

"You've never been to _any_ other floor? Ever?"

"Well, Floor 16 when I first got here, to get my head done," she says. Then she looks at us more closely. "You aren't management, are you?"

"Nope," the Doctor says smugly.

She rolls her eyes. "Please, just don't involve me in any of this."

"You're not even a _bit_ curious as to what we're up to?" I tease, elbowing her gently.

"Why should I be?"

"Uh, you're a freaking _journalist_. That's what they _do_."

"Why is everyone human?" the Doctor cuts in suddenly.

"I don't know, it's not like they're banned or anything."

"Then where are they?"

"Well, immigration's tightened up. The price of space warp doubled…just lots of little reasons," she says, exasperated.

"This entire society is wrong," the Doctor says. "Even the technology."

"It's cutting edge!" Cathica defends.

"You have a freaking _door_ in your head," I point out.

"Something is holding back the human race. They've been set back about ninety years," the Doctor says.

"Well, when did Satellite Five start broadcasting?" I ask.

"Ninety-one years ago…"

**~DW~**

"We are in BIG trouble," Cathica says anxiously. The Doctor scans a door with his sonic.

"No! Don't touch the mainframe!" Cathica cries.

"Rose, tell her to button it."

"Button it."

"Someone's gonna see you!" The Doctor just continues with his work.

"This has nothing to do with me, I'm going back to work." She begins to walk away.

"I can't just leave you, can I?"

"Be useful," I mutter. "Tell them to turn the heat down a few billion degrees. I'm gonna melt soon enough."

"There's something wrong with the turbine."

"Really? There's something wrong with the turbine?" the Doctor asks, in a 'are-you-freaking-kidding-me' kind of tone. "I give up on you Cathica. Rose, on the other hand…"

The smile that crosses my face is ridiculously big. I almost feel smart for a second.

"…she's asking the right questions! Why _is_ it so hot?"

"You just went form the Empire to the central heating!"

"Well, plumbing is important!" the Doctor says. He accidentally snaps some wires.

Finally, the layout of Satellite Five comes up on the screen.

"See? Plumbing!"

"You've got access to _everything_ and you're looking at the _plumbing_."

"Something's wrong with it, though. Just look! The cooling ducts, ice filters, they're channeling heat down, right from the top," the Doctor explains. Then I realize.

"Right from Floor 500."

We race over to lift once the Doctor has retrieved the codes from the system. That's one of the advantages of his sonic screwdriver: we don't need a key.

"Coming?" I ask Cathica. She shakes her head.

"No way! And don't you dare mention my name! Go and get yourselves into trouble, be my guest, but don't drag me into it!"

"Well, just us now," the Doctor says, grabbing my hand as the doors close.

When we get up there, and the doors open, I roll my eyes. Floors made out of gold? Shows what people can come up with, they've got great imaginations. The walls were actually quite dull and gray…as well as frozen. It was freezing.

"You should go back downstairs," the Doctor says, taking it in.

"I think not," I say defiantly, striding into the room. "I'm tougher than I look, believe it or not."

We find our way to a big room, and there's a man standing in the center.

"Satellite Five contains every piece of information _ever_…care to explain why you two don't exist?" he says.

The Doctor and I look at him for a moment. His gaze is a bit unnerving…one of the creepier people I've met. I glance around the room, checking out our surroundings. People sit along a row of computers, with pads like the ones they'd used earlier to connect to Cathica. I notice Suki sitting at one of them, and walk over quietly, checking her pulse. Nothing.

"She's dead," I tell the Doctor solemnly. "How is she still working?"

"The chips keep going, even if she doesn't," the Doctor explains. "It doesn't matter. We're leaving, now."

I move to get up, but Suki grabs my arm and restrains me. Two others grab the Doctor by the arms. I look over to him, siliently asking what I should do.

"Tell me who you are!" the man demands.

"Do we look stupid?" I ask. "We aren't telling you, that's the only reason you're keeping us alive right now." It's times like these I wish I had the Flock to back me up.

"Maybe my boss can convince you otherwise," the man smiles, pointing at the ceiling.

We all look up, at the roaring creature. It's basically a blob of alien, with a huge mouth. It's long, sharp teeth snap at us.

"Welp…" I mutter. Can't fight that thing.

"That thing is in charge of Satellite Five?" the Doctor asks.

"That 'thing' controls the human race. The mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hardojassic Maxarodenfoe."

**~DW~**

Not that much later, the Doctor and I are in handcuffs. I've reached into my back pocket, taking out a bobby pin. It's been a while, but I can pick locks.

"How long is that thing's life span?" I ask the man, trying to distract him.

"About three thousand years," he smirks. My eyebrows shoot up. That's a long time.

"That thing is generating all that heat, isn't it?" the Doctor says. "You pump it out of the creature and downstairs. The entire Satellite is supporting it."

"That's why you're dangerous," the man says calmy. "You're just stock full of information, and we all know knowledge is power." He laughs, clicking his fingers. I fall to my knees when I feel an electric current running through me, wincing. "Who are you?"

"Leave her," the Doctor says. "She hasn't done anything. I'm the Doctor, she's Rose Tyler. That's all."

"Who do you work for?" the man demands. Then he stops, and smiles. "Time Lord. You're the last of the Time Lords." I try to work faster on the handcuffs, making a mental note to practice more often in the future.

"Your human from so long ago," he smirks. He comes closer to me, whispering in my face. "But you're not even human, are you, _Maximum_?" My handcuffs click quietly.

"Then there's this one," he continues, snapping his fingers. An image of Adam comes up, sitting in a chair identical to the one Cathica was in earlier. The same information streams into his head.

"What's he done?" the Doctor demands.

"What the hell?" I mutter to myself. He's supposed to be a genius. The School clearly didn't give him any common sense.

"Through him, I know everything he knows," the man smirks. _That's how he knew who I am._

He continues. "And you just know everything, don't you Doctor? You've just seen it all, thanks to that TARDIS of yours." The Doctor glares at him.

"I'll die before you even lay your hands on it."

The TARDIS key I'd given Adam earlier floats out of his pocket.

"Just great," I mutter sarcastically. I flex my hands, preparing to make a move, throw a punch, _something_.

Suddenly, and alarm goes off. The man looks utterly confused, bringing up a new image. Cathica sits in the chair we saw in the other room. I smile.

"She's using what she knows!" the Doctor exclaims. "Everything I told her about Satellite Five, the pipes – everything! She's reversing it! The heat is venting up here, the Jagrafess can't survive!" Just like that, all around us, icicles being to melt. The screens explode into sparks. The creature above our heads roars. I stand, walking up to the man, dropping my handcuffs to the floor before punching him right in the face. He falls to the ground, knocked out. I smile, looking over to the Doctor. His eyes are wide and he smiles too.

"I knew I took you with me for a reason!"

**~DW~**

The Doctor brings Adam and I back to the TARDIS, leaving Cathica behind rather unwillingly to clean up the mess we've left behind. He takes the TARDIS key back from Adam, tossing it to me. I pull the chain over my head and it hangs around my neck.

"My mobile, too," I say calmly. Adam reaches into his pocket and tosses it at me. I catch it and put it in my pocket. The Doctor lands the TARDIS and shoves Adam out the door before following. I come after.

The Doctor blows up his phone, destroying the messages he's left himself.

"See ya, then," he says with false happiness, turning back to the TARDIS.

"You're just leaving me here? My head opens! What am I supposed to do about that?"

"What, like this?" The Doctor snaps his fingers and Adam's head opens up. Adam snaps his fingers to close it, but the Doctor comes right back and does it again. I smirk.

"Enough," I tell the Doctor seriously, before turning back to Adam, who's closed his head again. I snap my fingers. The Doctor smirks.

"You could've destroyed…" the Doctor begins, but I cut him off.

"Can I talk to Adam alone for a second?" The Doctor looks at me before nodding reluctantly.

"Come back inside when you're done." I nod, turning back to Adam as the door closes behind me.

"For someone who's supposed to be a genius, you're a real idiot," I tell him.

"Come on, Rose," he says. "Give me one more chance?"

"I don't think so. I ran out of second chances years ago. And anyway, your head isn't a big deal. If your family is truly alright with you being a super genius from the School, they'll get over the whole gap in your forehead," I tell him. "Goodbye, Adam." I turn and walk back into the TARDIS.


	13. Father's Day

**A/N: I might be a bit late with the chapter after this one, because I'm going to visit my cousins for Thanksgiving. I'll get it up ASAP, I promise!**

**~DW~**

_~FLASHBACK~_

_ "Mum? Are you alright? You seem a bit out of it," I ask._

_ "It's Pete's birthday today," she says simply. My eyes widen in understanding._

_ "I'm sorry," I say quietly. _

_ "He would've loved you," she smiles. "He really would've. He was always planning, trying to come up with the next big thing that would make us rich."_

_ I just smile sadly, unsure of how to respond. _

_ "I wish I could've met him," I sigh. "Especially if he would love me as much as you said he would."_

_ "Oh, Rose, Pete would have adored you. You're just like him, always looking out for others, always off on an adventure…" she trails off._

_ "Mum…how did it happen?"_

_ "A car accident. It was November 7__th__, about ten years before I found you," she says. "The same day Stuart Hoskins and Sarah Clarke got married. He was all alone, no one ever found out who it was."_

_~END FLASHBACK~  
_"Doctor?" I ask cautiously. He turns his head toward me from his position on the captain's chair. His feet are up on the console and his arms are crossed over his chest.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," I say quickly. "I just…I want to ask you something, alright? It's okay if you say no, after all, I don't want to end up breaking the universe or something…"

"I'm almost afraid to ask," he jokes. "What is it?"

"Can you take me to meet my dad?" I scratch the back of my neck awkwardly. _Mind you, he's not my real father, but he's the closest thing I've got, even if I've never met him before._

"Where'd this come from all of a sudden?"

"I'll take that as a no," I mutter, turning to walk away, but he grabs me by the arm and I turn around again.

"I can do anything," says the Doctor. "I'm more worried about what it would do to you."

"I want to see him. Please," I beg.

"Alright," he says softly. "But be careful what you wish for." He stands and starts up the TARDIS. "Where exactly are we going, then?"

I tell him the date. "The day he died. Mum always said he died alone. I want to be that person there who holds his hand."

**~DW~**

We step out of the TARDIS onto a suburban street. There's music coming from somewhere farther off, and everything is still and quiet. The sun shines and there aren't even any clouds in the sky.

"Funny how when you think of the day someone dies, you always picture it cloudy and storming," I say to myself. The Doctor turns to me.

"Are you sure about this?" I nod and grasp his hand, and we walk to the Powell Estate.

"Here," I say, and we stop. "This is the street. Jordan Road. He was late; he had to get a wedding present. Mum always said – that stupid vase." My heart pounds and I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. "He got out of the car, and crossed the road…"

A car pulls over nearby us, and stops. I watch Pete – Dad – pick up the vase from the passenger seat beside him. The Doctor takes me hand and entwines our fingers. He gives me a squeeze that's probably meant to be reassuring, but it does nothing. Another car rounds the corner, but he doesn't see it. I can't help myself.

"Hey! Watch out!" I shout to him. Dad turns to see the car and jumps out of the way quickly, falling over. I race to help him up. I stare at him blankly, hardly believing it.

"I saved your life," I say dumbly. He starts talking, asking if I got the license plate number. "I did it! You're alive! That car would've killed you! I'm Rose." I just smile at him, and he doesn't know what to say.

"I'd better go, I'm off to a wedding," he says.

"Sarah Clarke?"

"You going too?"

I hesitate for a moment, but I can't resist. "Yeah."

"You and the boyfriend need a lift?" he asks, nodding to the Doctor over on the corner.

**~DW~**

He takes us back to the flat, mumbling about the mess. I shake my head, looking at everything lying around. All my dad's things he must've been working on covered almost every inch of the floor. He walks into the kitchen and the Doctor leans against the doorway, his arms crossed. He looks angry.

"I'll let him know you aren't my boyfriend, if that's what's bothering you," I smirk. He just gives me the same stony look.

He speaks, his tone suspicious. "I asked you to come with me, and I said 'travel with me in space'. You said no. Then I came back, I said 'time machine'." Then I realize.

"No! It's not like that!" I protest. "I would never do that! I would never just _use_ you! You know why? I _know_. I know what it's like to be used, and I _never_ wanted to make _anybody_ feel that way."

"Oh, great. I picked another stupid ape! Of course! The entire _world _has changed, Rose, because now there's a man who wasn't alive before!"

"Get out," I say, deathly calm. That had hurt. The last time someone called me that…

_"They're just experiments," said the whitecoat. "They're all stupid apes."_

I yank the TARDIS key off my neck, breaking the chain. "Just take it and go. You don't scare me. And don't think I haven't figured you out. You'll wait for me, and let me tell you," I narrow my eyes, "you'll be waiting a while. I thought you were different. I thought you were special. I was wrong." My voice almost cracks, but I hold my ground. He pushes past me out the door, and a tear slips down my cheek. I wipe it away quickly before he notices. I thought he was different. I was wrong. He turns to face me, and I slam the door in his face.

Dad pokes his head in. "Boyfriend trouble?"

**~DW~**

"You're a businessman then?" I ask awkwardly, trying to break the silence.

"Not exactly," Dad starts, but he's cut off. The car that nearly killed him before appears out of thin air right in front of us, heading our way.

"Dad!"

Dad swerves to avoid it, honking the horn. I'm frozen in my seat.

"That's the same car from before!" he exclaims. He opens the car door and gets out once he's parked. "You called me 'Dad'." Mum comes racing up.

"You're late! Who's she?" she motions toward me. "Another one of yours?"

"She saved my life, Jackie," Pete tells her. They start arguing and I frown. What happened to 'he's the best, most wonderful man I've ever met'?

They head off, going in a different direction. Dad gives me an apologetic smile, tossing me the car keys. I stand open mouthed, gaping like a fish, not knowing what to say. I walk over to the church doors, leaning against the building for a few deep breaths. A little boy comes running up.

"Monsters! They're coming to eat us!"

_Oh my god, Mickey?_ I almost burst into delirious laughter before I take in what he said. Then I hear another voice.

"Rose!" yells the Doctor. My smile disappears. I turn to face him, expression stony. It's one that I've mastered over the years.

"Into the church!" he shouts. A creature appears next to me, bearing down on me.

I throw a punch, but it seems to do nothing but annoy it. The Doctor grabs me by the arm and pulls me into the church, making sure everyone is inside before slamming the doors shut.

The Doctor gets into an argument with Mum. I should've expected nothing less. I almost laugh when I hear the last thing he says.

"I've waited a long time to say this – Jackie Tyler, do as I say! Go – and – check – the doors!"

Mum nods weakly and the Doctor grins, pleased with himself. I roll my eyes.

"Someone call the police!" shouts someone.

"The police can't help now," the Doctor says. "No one can. Nothing in the universe can stop them. They're here to fix the damage in time." My heart sinks. I walk up to him.

"Is this my fault?" I ask. He looks at me, his expression saying it all. Yes, it's my fault. It's always my fault, every time I try to help someone, something bad happens. He walks past me.

**~DW~**

Nothing much has changed a bit later. I sit alone by the altar, staring directly in front of me. Dad startles me, sitting down beside me.

"You said earlier," he starts. "You said this was your fault. What do you mean?"

"Everything. It's all my fault," I answer blankly, not looking at him. "It's always my fault."

"I gave you my car keys," he says.

"Yeah, here you go," I say, reaching into my pocket to give them back. Dad grabs my wrist to stop me.

"You don't give your car keys to strangers," he says. "Why did I give you my car keys?" I swallow.

"The minute I laid eyes on you, I just _trusted_ you. You're from the future, aren't you?" he says softly. "What's your second name? You never said."

"Tyler," I choke out. "My name is Rose Tyler." He cups my face with his hand, and I lean into his touch, closing my eyes. He starts to pull away, but I grab his hand and bring it back.

I'm reminded of Jeb, when he used to be like a father to me. I always felt like something was missing, and I realize what it was now. I realize what Jeb never gave me. Love.

"You're mine," he says, like he quite can't believe it. I don't blame him. "You're my daughter."

"It's a bit complicated…but yeah," I say quietly, giving a wet smile. He throws his arms around me and I cling to him.

"Dad," I whisper, burying my face in his jacket, breathing in his scent. I want to remember it forever.

"How did you get here?" Dad asks.

"A time machine," I answer, smiling mischievously as I pull back, leaning on his shoulder and grasping his hand. Then I stand up.

"Somehow, that isn't the strangest thing that's happened today."

"Follow me," I tell him, and I lead him to a back room in the church, closing the door behind me.

"We don't need anyone walking in on this conversation," I explain to his questioning look. I sigh. "Dad, there's something I need to show you." I have to know if Mum was right. I have to know if Dad would've accepted me – wings and all.

"What is it, love?" I take a deep breath, rolling my shoulders and revealing my wings through the carefully concealed slits in my jacket. His eyes widen.

"Are those wings?" I nod.

"You see…I…Mum, she took me in off the streets," I explain. "I was on my own, starving, running from the people who did this to me." I can't read his expression. "What do you think?"

"What do I think? About the wings?" he asks, and I nod again. "I think they're a part of you, and even if you're not my blood, you're my daughter." I smile, throwing my arms around him.

"Thank you," I say honestly, "for not freaking and running away."

"Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"You said your Mum took you in off the streets…where was I?" I swallow thickly, pulling back when the door flies open. Mickey races in, clinging to my legs. I look down smiling. Jackie stumbles in after him.

"Mickey, you're gonna have to let go of me, sweetheart," I say softly. He releases me and runs back to Jackie.

"What's going on in here, then? she asks angrily. And yet another argument starts.

Pete goes after her to calm her down, but I grab his arm.

"You can't tell her. Not that I'm from the future, not about the wings – _nothing._" He nods in understanding.

"Cross my heart."

**~DW~**

I join the Doctor in one of the pews.

"Listen…" we both start at the same time. I turn to stare at the wall awkwardly.

"I think I just imprinted myself on Mickey," I say lightly, and I can tell the Doctor is smiling even if I'm not looking at him.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor sighs. "I really wouldn't leave you on your own."

"You wouldn't?" I ask. I'm not one to believe people and their promises so easily. I've been abandoned by the people I love before, and I don't want it to happen again.

"I wouldn't, I swear. And between you and me," he says, lowering his voice to a whisper, "I have no plan. I can't think of any way out of here. They'll break through in the end, the church can only hold up for so long."

"If I had known…" I start, and then I trail off, not quite knowing how to finish.

"Just tell me you're sorry," the Doctor says softly, and I look into his eyes, gaze unfaltering.

"I am. I'm so sorry that this is all my fault, and that it's always my fault. I'm always the one who screws up everything, and I wouldn't blame you if you dropped me right back off on Earth – or even deep space – when we get out of here. Which we will, because you're brilliant."

"I could never toss you into deep space, for one thing…" he starts, but I throw my arms around his neck. He wraps his arms around me, returning the hug. I feel something hot coming from his jacket pocket. He pulls out my TARDIS key, and it's white hot and sizzling.

"It's still connected to the TARDIS!" he says excitedly. He stands up and calls out to everyone in the church. "Has anyone got a battery?"

**~DW~**

The Doctor sets to work, and I sit in the back of the church with Dad.

"In the future, are me and Jackie still together?" I glance at him, painting my face with a small, fake smile.

"Yeah."

"Are you still living with us?"

I don't have to lie about that. "Yep!"

"Am I a good dad?" he asks, and suddenly everything is serious.

"You're the most wonderful dad I could have ever asked for. The one I never had," I say quietly. "You're someone I can really rely on." Suddenly I can hear the TARDIS.

I stand quickly and race over to the Doctor.

"Don't touch that key!" the Doctor says, referring to the one sticking out of the TARDIS lock. We go to sit in the second to last pew, and Dad sits behind us.

"So time is righting itself, correct?" I ask. The Doctor nods.

"Everyone here will forget what happened, but the thing you changed will stay changed."

"You mean I'll still be alive," Dad states, and I freeze.

"Dad…"

"Even though I'm meant to be dead." I turn to face him.

"It's not your fault, Dad, it's mine," I say softly.

"I'm your Dad, love. It's my job for it to be my fault," he smiles sadly.

"You're her _Dad_?" Jackie screeches, and we all turn to face her. The Doctor looks alarmed.

"What's wrong?" I ask immediately.

"It's okay that we told your Dad, since he hasn't known you in the future, but your mother does!"

A Reaper appears in the middle of the church.

"Everyone, behind me!" the Doctor yells. "I'm the oldest thing in here!" I realize what he's talking about.

"No! Doctor!" And he's gone.

The Reaper flies straight through the materializing TARDIS, taking said time machine with it when it disappears. The TARDIS key falls to the ground and I kneel down and pick it up.

The Doctor is dead. It's all my fault. I feel a hand on my shoulder, but brush it off. I let someone in, and this is what happens. I'm never making that mistake again. Back to tough. Back to closed off. This way is better for everyone.

**~DW~**

"The Doctor cared about you," Dad says softly, placing a hand on my shoulder as I sit alone in the corner of the darkening church.

"He didn't want you to see me die again, so he worked out another way. But he isn't in charge anymore, I am. That car was supposed to kill me, Rose, and it's out there on the streets right now, appearing and disappearing again and again. And it will until it kills me.

"No, Dad," I say, my voice cracking. "You can't. There's got to be some other way."

"Who am I, love?"

"My Daddy," I whisper. Mum walks up to us.

"Just look at her, Jackie, and think about it," Dad says. Her eyes widen.

"Oh my god!" she cries, throwing her arms around me. Then she lets go, looking at Dad.

"Trust me, Jackie. This needs to be done. I'm sorry, but you've got to be there to raise our daughter."

_Our daughter. I'm their daughter. They're my parents._

He kisses Mum one last time.

"I was never there for you, I was never a proper dad," he starts.

"You would've been."

"I can do this for you. I can be a proper dad now," he smiles sadly. I reach next to me, picking up the vase and handing it to him slowly, knowing that every second brings us closer to his death.

"Will you stay with me, love?" I nod, tears flowing freely. I watch my father run out the church doors, right into the car's path. I hear the vase crash to the ground.

"Go to him," says a familiar voice behind me. The Doctor. I look at him before running out to the street.

I finally go what I wanted. I held his hand, so he didn't have to die alone. I kiss his forehead, stand, and walk to the Doctor, who stands on the street corner. He takes my hand, and I walk with him back to the TARDIS.


	14. Captain Jack Harkness

**A/N: This chapter is so late it is awful. I'm sorry:(. Life kind of got in the way.**

**~DW~**

"Doctor! What the hell?" I shout, picking myself up off the floor. I rub my head.

"Sorry!"

"What's going on?"

"Code mauve!"

"I'm _sorry?_"

"The universally recognized color for danger!"

"Not on Earth!" I shout. The TARDIS continues to shudder and I cling to a railing. The Doctor gestures to the TARDIS monitor, pointing at the object we're following through space.

"I've connected the TARDIS computer to that, so where it goes, we go," he explains.

"Is that safe?"

"Totally." Part of the TARDIS console explodes. "Okay, reasonably."

"Why are we even chasing this thing?"

"It's mauve and it's dangerous, and about thirty seconds from the centre of London."

**~DW~**

We exit the TARDIS on an empty street.

"It must be nearby," the Doctor says. "At least within a mile, and a few weeks ago, maybe a month."

"We were right behind it!"

"We were bound to be a little bit out," he shrugs. "Let's go ask."

"What? No alien tech scanner?"

He holds out the psychic paper to me. _Doctor John Smith, Ministry of Asteroids. _I roll my eyes.

"Not very Spock," I comment. He walks up to the door of the closest building.

"What do you think? Music? Dancing?"

"I think you should scan for alien tech. Just for once, give me some Spock, it wouldn't kill you!"

"Are you sure about that shirt?" he asks, changing the subject. I roll my eyes again.

"I don't know. I'm taking it out for a spin," I say, looking down at my Union Jack t-shirt. The Doctor makes himself busy with his screwdriver, opening the lock. I hear a voice behind me.

"Muuummy? Mummy?" I look around for the source of the voice. It sounds like a child. "Mummy?"

I spot the child standing on the rooftop.

"Doctor? There's a kid up there!" I turn to him, but he's already inside. Fine. I'll do things myself.

I shout up to the child. "Are you all right?"

"Mummy?" I find a staircase running up the side of the building, and race up them. They don't go all the way to the top, but I'm closer than I was before. The kid is standing on the very edge of the building.

"Don't move!" I shout, not wanting him to fall. A rope swings into my view, coming from the top of the building. I grab it, pulling on it to make sure it's secure. Then I start to climb.

"Mummy…"

Then the rope starts moving, away from the side of the building. I glance up.

Just my luck. I'm hanging from a barrage balloon.

"Doctor!" I yell. "Anybody!"

The balloon takes me higher and higher in the sky, and I see German planes dropping bombs on London. I realize where I am – the London Blitz.

"This shirt is being burned when I get back to the TARDIS," I mutter.

I cling to the rope for dear life – quite literally – and pray that I don't slip. My raw hands burn, turning red, and I look down at the city again. My eyes come back to the airships around me. Bombs fall to the ground. I need to get out of here. I don't have a choice.

I let go of the rope, falling through the sky before unfurling my wings. I ready myself for a landing, when suddenly there's an airship right next to me. Someone looks out the window, pointing at me frantically. Then someone grabs a gun.

I know what's happening before the sharp pain in my right wing, and tumble toward the ground at an alarming speed. I'm falling with injured, unusable wings, with nothing to stop me.

Then all of a sudden, I'm suspended in the air, and there's a strange sound filling my ears, before the voice of an American man.

"Hey, I've got you."

"What? Who? How?"

"I'm programming your descent pattern. Stay still, and keep your arms, legs, and…wings inside the light beam. Please turn off all electronic."

"_What?_"

"Seriously, though, can you turn off your cell? It interferes with my instruments."

"Oh, sorry," I say, reaching into my pocket for my cell phone. "You know, no one ever believes that." I turn off my phone.

"Much better, thanks."

"Definitely," I say sarcastically. "I'm in the middle of a German air raid with a Union Jack on my shirt, but at least my cell phone is off!"

"Hold tight!"

And suddenly, I'm in the arms of a strong, handsome man, with bright blue eyes and dark hair. He smiles like he knows he looks absolutely perfect.

"Captain Jack Harkness," he says flirtatiously. His own name sounds like a pickup line. I raise an eyebrow.

"Someone's a bit self-confident. Yes, you're very pretty. Rose Tyler. Now, can you please put me down?"

He sets me on my feet again, and I wince as I curl in my wings slightly to account for the small space. I look over at my wounded wing, and my eyes widen when what looks like gold dust gathers around it.

"It's alright. They're healing you," he says, swatting my hand away when I reach over to brush them off. Once my wing is good as new, they move on to my hands.

"So," Captain Jack starts. "Wings, huh?"

I fold my wings in completely, and look at him.

"What was your name again?" I ask, trying to change the subject.

"I told you, Captain Jack Harkness," he says, holding out what should be an ID card. I raise my eyebrows.

"That's psychic paper," I tell him. He nods, and then speaks.

"Don't like to talk about it? I mean, you're obviously not from this time period. The way you're dressed, the cell phone. But the wings? That's new, even for me."

"It's complicated," I say shortly.

"Come on, spill. Where are you from?"

I sigh. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You're a Time Agent, then," he says. I decide to go with it.

"Yeah," I lie. "I'm guessing you are too?" He nods.

"I'm from the 51st century," he says casually. Holy crap.

"I just came from the 21st," I say.

"And the wings?" My expression darkens.

"I told you, it's complicated."

"And I'm a very smart guy."

"It wasn't a choice," I say shortly. That seems to explain it all.

"I'm sorry," he says sympathetically. "I really am. Whoever it was, they shouldn't have used you like that." He lays a hand on my shoulder.

"You're flirting with me," I say blankly. "You know I'm a freak, and you're still flirting with me."

"They don't make you a freak. You're one of the most normal beings I've flirted with, to be honest," he shrugs. I give him a small smile. I look away, out the window, and then frown.

"How come no one can see us?"

"Care for a drink on the balcony?" he asks. I just stare. He grabs a bottle of wine, taking a ramp up the roof. "Bring up the glasses!" he calls.

It feels a bit strange, standing on an invisible roof. I voice that to Jack. He chuckles, taking a remote out of his pocket and flipping a switch. The ship appears under us. I smirk.

"Finally, some Spock. Why are we tethered to Big Ben?"

"Rule number one of camouflage, park somewhere you'll remember." He uncorks the bottle of wine and pours me a glass.

**~DW~**

"So, what exactly are you doing here? In 1941?" I ask.

"I'm here on business. There's a warship that crashed here. You interested?" he replies.

"I'd have to consult my partner," I try to say casually, but I blush.

"Partner?"

"Do you have the time?" I ask. He clears his throat, taking out the same remote from before, flicking another switch. Big Ben lights up right next to us.

"That is just the definition of showing off," I laugh. "Anyway, I really should be getting back to him."

"When you say partner, should I be disappointed?" he asks, stepping closer to me and placing a hand on my waist. "Do you like Glenn Miller?" He points the remote over his shoulder, and music begins to play. He spins me around, and we sway back and forth. I blush. I haven't ever really danced with someone.

"Now," Jack says. "If the Agency can name the right price, I can get you that warship. But in two hours, a German bomb will fall on it and destroy it forever. That's the deadline. Shall we discuss payment? Or is that your partner's thing?'

"It's more him, yeah," I say. "I have to find him."

"Easy, I can scan for alien tech," Jack says. I die laughing, and he looks extremely confused. "What?"

"Finally!" I say, delighted. "A professional!"

**~DW~**

Jack's scanner leads us to an old hospital. We wander the halls, calling for the Doctor.

"Oh, Jack, one more thing?" He looks to me.

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favor and don't mention the wings. He doesn't know." He gives me a look, but nods.

"Sure."

"Doctor! Hello?" He comes out of one of the rooms into the corridor.

"Ah, Doctor," Jack says. I've been hearing all about you. Captain Jack Harkness." He reaches out his arm, shaking the Doctor's hand. The Doctor just looks confused.

"I had to tell him about us being Time Agents, and all," I say, hoping he gets the point. He just raises his eyebrows at me. Jack walks in the other direction.

"Where have you been? It's the middle of the London Blitz! Not a good time for a stroll!"

"Who's strolling?" I ask, following Jack. "I went by barrage balloon."

"_What?!_"

"Hey, what's a Chula warship?"

"Chula?" We walk into the room the Doctor just came out of. Jack is scanning a body lying on a hospital bed. They all have gas masks on, just like the boy I saw earlier, looking for him Mum.

"How is this possible?"

"What kind of Chula warship landed here?"

"Why does it matter? It has nothing to do with this!" Jack cries.

"It started at the bomb site," the Doctor says angrily. "It's got everything to do with this!"

"It was an ambulance!" Jack explodes. He turns on his wrist device. A hologram appears. "I threw it at you for bait!"

"Bait?"

"It was a con! I was going to con you! Destroy the ship before you saw what you bought, I buy you a drink with your own money, and we discuss dumb luck. You aren't even Time Agents, are you?"

"Just a couple more free-lancers," I admit. I turn to the Doctor. "What's even going on right now?"

"Human DNA is being rewritten by an idiot." My eyes widen. There's no way…the School wasn't around this early, was it?

"What do you mean?" I ask seriously.

"It's like a virus, almost. It changes people into that," he says, motioning to one of the bodies lying on a hospital bed. "I just want to know why."

I approach the bed, my eyes running over the body. I yelp when it sits up, jumping backwards a bit.

"Mummy?" Every single gas mask zombie in the room starts calling out. I walk over to the Doctor and Jack.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know," the Doctor says simply. Then I know to be scared. The Doctor always knows.

"Don't let them touch you," he says as they back us against a wall. "You'll turn into one of them."

"Mummy!"


	15. Gas Mask Zombies

**A/N:**

**~DW~**

And then something hits me. And I say something. Something that I often wanted to say to Iggy or Gazzy when they blew something up, or started a fire. I put on my most stern expression that would always silence them.

"Go to your room," I say loudly. The gas mask zombies freeze. They don't move, so I say it again.

"Go to your room!" They cock their heads to one side. "I mean it!" I continue, "I'm _extremely_ angry with you. Go – to – your – ROOM!" I point extravagantly in a random direction, sighing with relief when they turn away. They climb back to their beds. I smile, turning to the Doctor and Jack. They both look shocked, yet amused at the same time.

"I'm glad that worked. Those would've been terrible last words."

"You're just the pied piper of gas mask zombies, aren't you?" Jack asks. I take a seat in a nearby chair.

"It was my dream job growing up," I tell him. "Why have they got gas masks?"

"It's part of them, actually," the Doctor says. "Flesh and bone." He turns to look at Jack, his expression disapproving. "This is what your space junk did."

"It was an empty medical transporter!" Jack exclaims angrily.

"Rose," the Doctor says. "Follow me. We're going upstairs." Jack continues with his rant.

"I programmed the computer so it wouldn't land on anything living. I didn't harm _anyone_! I have nothing to do with this!" I feel bad for him. I don't know if it's his fault, but even if it is, and even if he is a con man, he's somewhat decent. He cares enough to make sure no one is harmed.

**~DW~**

It doesn't take long to lose the Doctor. He always does this. He walks ahead of the crowd, so focused on what he's doing he doesn't realize I'm gone until something goes wrong or he needs me. And then he blames _me_ for wandering off.

Jack and I race past several staircases, calling for him, skidding to a halt when we hear him behind us.

"Have you got a blaster?" he asks. I turn to Jack.

"He's obviously not talking to me."

"Yeah, sure," he says. We run up the stairs to the door at the top.

"Someone was hurt the night your space junk landed. They were taken here. Get it open," he tells us. Jack points his blaster at the door, grinning. The Doctor and I stand back.

"Why aren't you using the sonic?" I ask the Doctor quietly, even though I already know. His smirk says it all. Soon enough there's a perfectly square hole in the door and it creaks open.

"51st century sonic blaster. Nice," the Doctor comments.

"Yeah, ever been to the Weapon Factories of Villengard?"

"Once."

"Gone now. The main reactor went critical, the lot was vaporized."

"Like I said, once. There's a banana grove now. I like bananas, bananas are good." He gives a cheesy smile, entering the room.

"That _is_ a pretty cool gun," I say to Jack. I hear him laughing behind me as I walk inside.

The room looks completely vandalized…like the walls in the alleys of any city. The window is broken and it's a complete mess.

"Something got out of here…" I trail off, noticing a room off to the side. The floor and walls are plastered with children's drawings. A few toys and a little bed sit in the corner. "How did a child do this?"

The Doctor plays a tape he finds, of a doctor talking to the child. He always answers with 'Are you my mummy?' no matter what the question.

"He's asking 'Are you my mummy?' Doctor," I say softly. I swallow thickly. "Why doesn't he know?"

The Doctor starts pacing. My mind is racing.

"Can you sense it?" Jack and I stare at him blankly. "Can you feel it?" More blank looks. "Little human brains, how do you get around in there?"

"He likes to insult species when he's stressed," I explain to Jack. "Cuts himself shaving, goes on for half an hour about how many species he's smarter than."

"There are children that live at the bomb site. What if they were there when this thing landed? You keep saying this ship was harmless. But what if one of them was affected? Altered?"

I glance down to the tape recorder, my eyes widening. I can still hear the child's voice…but the tapes have ended.

"Doctor?"

"What, Rose? I'm thinking!"

"I sent the child to its room."

"And?"

"This is its room." At the same time, we all turn around. The child stands behind us, the same one from the roof earlier.

"Are you my mummy?" he asks, tilting his head at me. I take a small step back, laughing nervously.

"Hate to break it to you, kid, but no."

"Make for the door on my signal," Jack says quietly. "NOW!"

It would've looked really cool, honestly, when he pulled out his sonic blaster. Instead he produces a banana, and the look on his face is absolutely priceless. The Doctor grins, pulling out the sonic blaster and shooting at the wall. He pushes me through before following.

"Come on!" he calls to Jack. "Don't drop the banana!"

"Is that _really_ your main concern right now?" I ask, exasperated.

"It's a good source of potassium!" he says defensively. I roll my eyes.

We end up in another corridor, and the child approaches us from inside the room.

"Give that back!" Jack cries, snatching his blaster out of the Doctor's hands. He points it back at the wall, which rebuilds itself before the child can get through.

"Nice switch," I comment, and Jack scowls.

"It's from the Groves of Villengard, I thought it would be appropriate," the Doctor says. Then a crack appears in the wall, and we can hear the child banging on it from the other side. My eyes widen. That's a pretty strong little kid, if he can break through a wall with nothing but his bare hands. The Doctor grabs my hand, pulling me down a staircase. Jack follows not far behind.

When we turn the corner, we nearly run into the gas mask zombies from downstairs. We immediately turn around, racing around the corner…and we meet another wall of gas mask people. Right back where we started, with the child breaking down the wall, and now there's zombies on either side of us.

"It's trying to trap us here," the Doctor says.

"It's like, controlling their minds?" Jack asks, spinning back and forth, not quite sure where to point his gun.

"It _is _them. They're the same mind."

"This gun can function as a blaster, a cannon, and a triple – enfolded sonic disrupter. What have you got?"

"What the hell is a triple-enfolded sonic disrupter?" I ask.

"I've got a sonic…oh, forget it," the Doctor says, pulling his screwdriver out of his pocket. Jack is too busy looking at the zombies to notice.

"What is it?" Jack asks impatiently.

"It's sonic, alright? Let's leave it at that," the Doctor replies, turning to face the gas mask zombies on the other side of us. I'm left standing right in the middle, hardly absorbing their conversation. I'm more focused on finding a way out.

"Disrupter? Cannon? What?"

"It's sonic! Totally sonic! I am totally sonic-ed up!"

"A sonic WHAT?" Jack shouts.

"SCREWDRIVER!" the Doctor shouts back, and Jack spins around with a 'WTF?' look on his face. The child smashes through the wall, and my mind is racing.

Can't go right, can't go left, not enough room to fly, so up isn't an option…the only way left is down. I glance down at Jack's blaster. If it works on the wall, why not the floor? I grab his wrist and direct his aim to the ground, pulling the trigger. The floor disintegrates in a perfect square shape beneath us and we fall in a heap into the room below.

Jack quickly points the blaster back up to what is now the ceiling and activates the digital rewind. The hole closes.

"Is everyone okay?" I ask.

"A warning would've been nice," the Doctor scowls. I roll my eyes.

"You're welcome." I stand up and brush myself off, then start looking for a light switch. Then Jack and the Doctor _pick up where their conversation left off._

"Who has a sonic screwdriver?"

"I do!"

"Light," I mutter, trying to get them off the topic.

"Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks, 'oohoo, this could be more sonic'?"

"What, you've never been bored? Never had a long night? Never had a lot of cabinets to put up?"

Finally, I find a light switch and flick it on. The room illuminates, revealing more gas mask zombies in beds, and they all sit up and start calling 'mummy'.

"Door!" Jack says quickly, and we all rush over. It's locked, and Jack's blaster doesn't work. He curses. "The special features drain the battery."

"That thing needs a _battery_? How lame is that?" I exclaim as the Doctor opens the door with his screwdriver. He pushes us through and slams the door behind us, turning around to lock it again.

"I was going to get another one," Jack says, annoyed, "but _someone_ blew up the factory." He sends a pointed glare at the Doctor.

"It's just his way of communication. He blew up my job when I met him. I still don't think I've properly thanked you for that, it was boring as anything," I say.

"That'll hold it for a while. It's still got to find us, first. We aren't finished yet! Assets, assets!"

"Well, I've got a banana, and in a pinch, you could put up some shelves," Jack comments sarcastically. I smirk, holding back a laugh. The Doctor examines the window.

"We're seven stories up, and the window is barred. And there's no other exits," I say, plopping down into a chair.

The Doctor glares at Jack for a moment before turning to me. "Where'd you pick _this_ one up?"

"She was hanging from a barrage balloon, I had an invisible spaceship. I never stood a chance," Jack grins.

"We want to get out of here; we can't get out of here. Have I missed anything?"

"Yeah," I say simply. "Jack just disappeared."

The Doctor sits down in a chair across the room, leaning his elbows on his knees. I know what he's thinking. 'How could he just leave us here?'

And I know what I'm thinking. He couldn't.

"Why is it always the good-looking ones who vanish into thin air?" I mumble as I walk over to the Doctor. He gives me a look.

"I'm making an effort to not be insulted."

"I mean…_men_," I say, not sure how to explain myself properly. The Doctor has always been different. He would never leave me behind like that. I trust him completely. Which is really saying something, because I haven't trusted anyone like this since…well, since Fang.

"Thanks. That _really_ cushioned the blow."

I jump a bit when an old radio sitting on a shelf crackles to life. Then I hear Jack's voice, and I smile. I knew it. I walk over to it so I can hear more clearly.

"Rose! Doctor! I'm back on my ship. I used my emergency teleport. Unfortunately, the computer is only programmed to my molecular structure. I'm working on it, but hang in there. I'll get you out in no time."

"How are you talking to us?"

"It's called Om-Com. I can transmit to anything with a speaker."

"The child can do that," the Doctor says. "Even the TARDIS phone."

"Hold up…so it can hear us?" I ask, slightly weirded out. It's like having a six-year old stalker.

"And I can hear you. Coming to find you. Coming to fiiiind you!" My eyes widen.

"Oh my god, that is so _creepy_!"

"I'll try to block out the signal," Jack says quickly. Then I can practically hear his smirk. "Remember this one, Rosie?" The Glenn Miller song we danced to earlier filters through the speakers. The Doctor shoots me a questioning look.

"Our song," I smirk.

**~DW~**

I take a seat in a spinning chair, waiting for Jack to get his act together. Then I hear the sonic screwdriver buzzing behind me. I spin the chair around to look at the Doctor.

"You don't trust him, do you?"

"Not exactly, no."

"Why not?"

"Why do you?"

_Because he's keeping my secret._

"He saved my life. That's right up there with flossing on the list of attractive qualities in men," I reply. He doesn't answer, so I continue. "I trust him because he's like you, except with dating and dancing."

That sparks something. He stops messing around with his screwdriver and looks at me.

"You just assume that I don't…dance." I raise an eyebrow.

"Are you telling me that you do?"

"I'm nine hundred. It's pretty safe to assume that I've _danced_ before." And we both know that we aren't really talking about dancing anymore.

"So you must have picked up some moves, then. Care to share?" I stand up, and turn up the radio. Then I walk over to him, holding out my hand expectantly.

"Rose, I'm trying to resonate concrete."

"Will you just trust Jack? And if you won't trust him, at least trust me. Just dance!"

I smile as he shuts off his sonic and puts it back in his jacket. He walks over to me, and suddenly my heart is beating faster than usual. I can't read the expression on his face. For a moment he just stands there, before he takes my outstretched hand and reaches for my other one. Then he turns them over.

"You were hanging from a barrage balloon?" he asks.

That was _not_ what I expected him to say. "Wha – yeah. Yeah, I was. Middle of a German air-raid, two thousand feet over London, Union Jack on my t-shirt. Not the best situation."

"I've travelled with a lot of people before, but you, Rose Tyler, have just earned the number one spot on the jeopardy-friendly list." I smile.

"You have no idea." He goes back to my hands.

"Not a cut, not a bruise. Anywhere else hurt?"

"No," I lie. I _totally_ didn't get shot in the wing or anything… "Jack fixed me up."

"Did he now?"

"And you know what I think?"

"What?"

"Someone's jealous," I tease. He doesn't deny it, just takes my hands…and starts dancing.

"You'll find these things called feet at the end of your legs. You may want to move them," I laugh. Then suddenly –

"Oh, how sweet! Most people notice when they're being teleported," Jack says.

The Doctor snaps his fingers, and the gold dust things from before surround his hand.

"Those are the things that fixed my hands!"

"Nanobots? Nanogenes?"

"Yeah, that! The second one."

"I burned my hand on the console when we landed. All better now," he smiles, showing me his hand. The nanogenes fade back into the air. He turns to Jack.

"Take us to the crash site."

**~DW~**

Unfortunately, Jack still has to get his systems back online. So the Doctor wanders around back somewhere, and I sit in the passenger seat next to Jack, who's in the pilot seat.

"Why are you conning the Time Agency if you used to work for them?" I ask suddenly.

"They stole two years of my memories. I'd like them back," he says. "I'll bet you've got a story too." I know exactly what he's referring to.

I glance back at the Doctor, making sure he can't hear.

"You asked me before who did this to me," I start. He nods. "It's called the School. Their goal is to improve the human race, make them more advanced. I was created from human and avian DNA."

"They use you as an experiment?"

"They did. I escaped. Just…don't tell the Doctor, alright? Our relationship is already complicated; I don't want to make it worse."

"He wouldn't think any less of you, Rose," Jack says. "He really wouldn't. You're amazing the way you are. Just promise me you'll tell him eventually?" I smile.

"I will. Thanks, Jack."

**~DW~**

"Hey, Algy's on duty!" Jack comments as we walk up to the barbed wire fence along the crash site.

"Don't _even_ tell me to distract the guard. I can't flirt to save my life," I say, putting it up front.

"He's not your type anyway," Jack winks, before taking off. _Oh._

"Alright then," I say.

"Well, he is from the 51st century. People are much more flexible then. So many species, so little time…" the Doctor says. We turn to watch Jack, and everything appears to be going great…until the guard drops to his knees and transforms into one of the zombies.

"The affects are airborne now," the Doctor says solemnly, as we run up to them. Jack keeps the other guards back. Sirens go off. Great. All we need is another air raid.

"Wait…you said a bomb is going to land here?" I ask Jack. He nods.

Then the Doctor pipes up. "Can anyone else hear singing?"

He leads us over to a nearby shed. Now that he's mentioned it, I can make out a woman's voice singing a lullaby. A woman sits inside the shed, handcuffed to a table next to a gas mask zombie. The Doctor Sonics the cuffs, getting her out, and she doesn't stop singing the whole time. The Doctor quickly pulls her out of the shed.

Jack has pulled the tarp off the warship.

"See? Just an ambulance!" he exclaims.

"An _ambulance_?" the woman says.

"It's a long story. It's basically from outer space," I explain.

Jack presses a few buttons, trying to get it open. The controls start sparking and we all jump back.

"What's going on?"

"Go secure the gates, Jack!" the Doctor orders. "Nancy, how did you get in?"

"I cut the wire," Nancy says. The Doctor tosses me his screwdriver, telling me a setting.

"Show Rose. Use that to reattach the wire," he says.

"He has a bloody setting for _barbed wire_ but not wood," I mutter to myself, following after Nancy.

She holds up the wires and I use the sonic to meld them back together.

"Who are you?" she asks, clearly not just referring to my name.

"We're time travelers from the future," I tell her. "I know it sounds crazy, but – "

"No, I believe you," she says. "Weirder things have been happening. But what future? Look around at this? The war!"

"It may seem like it, Nancy, but I promise you, this isn't the end. I live in London fifty years in the future. I'm not German, am I?"

"No."

"That's right. You can't tell anyone, but…" I pause, smiling. "You win."

She smiles, and we go to join Jack and the Doctor back at the ambulance.

"You know what you find in a Chula medical ship, don't you?" the Doctor asks. No one replies, so he finishes himself. "Nanogenes. Enough nanogenes to rebuild a species."

Jack goes white. "I didn't want…"

"The ship crashes, and the nanogenes escape, ready to heal cuts and bruises and all the broken bones in the universe. And the first thing they find is a dead little boy, killed earlier that night, wearing a gasmask. And they bring him back to life."

"People can do that?" I ask.

"Life is nothing but nature's way of keeping meat fresh. Not a problem for nanogenes. But this lot of nanogenes has never seen a human before, so they go by this one body. They can't tell what's gas mask and what's flesh and bone, so it becomes one. They think they've fixed one human, so they move onto the rest." The Doctor glares at Jack angrily. I look between the two of them, not sure what to say.

"You know you want to," the Doctor says, his back facing Jack. "Teleport out of here." So he does.

"Rose?' Nancy calls. I follow her gaze to the approaching army of gas mask zombies that surround the fence.

"It's calling them here," I guess. "The ship."

"Because it's not just a medical ship, it's a war ambulance. It didn't just fix the child, it prepared him for war. All they need now is their commander. The child."

"Jamie," Nancy says suddenly, and I understand everything in that split second. "He's just a little boy who wants his mum."

"I know," I say softly. "There's not a kid in the world that wouldn't tear apart the universe inch by inch to find their mum." The Doctor gives me a questioning look.

"It's all my fault," Nancy sobs.

"How old are you, Nancy?" I ask. "Twenty? Twenty one? That means five years ago you were fifteen or sixteen, right? Old enough to have a child. Jamie's not your brother. He's your son." She turns away, nodding.

"Nancy, he's never going to give up. He'll keep asking forever. It's time for the lies to stop. Tell him," I say, nudging her forward. The gates swing open and Jamie approaches.

"Are you my mummy?"

"Yes," Nancy cries. "I am your mummy. I'm so sorry."

She gathers him in her arms, and they are surrounded with golden light.

"What's going on?" I ask, slightly alarmed. The Doctor's face lights up.

"They're figuring it out! The nanogenes are figuring it out! They're recognizing the same DNA! They're fixing him!" he exclaims. He rushes over. Nancy sits on the ground, confused.

"Please, give me one day like this! Just one!" the Doctor begs. He reaches out hesitantly, and pulls the gas mask off Jamie's face. I smile. The Doctor laughs ecstatically. He picks up Jamie and swings him around in circles. He sets the boy down next to Nancy.

"Doctor, what about the bomb that's going to hit the ship?" I ask, alarmed, when I hear a bomb drop way too close for my liking.

We look up into the sky at the bomb coming towards us when it freezes in midair. Jack appears above it not a moment later.

"I've got it!" he calls down, smiling. "I've put it into stasis, but it won't last long. It'll go off soon."

"Can you get rid of it? Safely as you can?" the Doctor asks. Jack nods.

"Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Goodbye." He disappears. My face falls. Then he's back again.

"Jack!"

"Don't forget what I told you, Rosie. You can't hide yourself forever." Then he's gone for good.

Nanogenes gather around the Doctor's hands. He throws them away from him, at the gas mask people. They fall to the ground. When they get back up again, they're good as new.

"Everybody lives, Rose! Just this once, everybody lives!"

**~DW~**

The Doctor still isn't done expressing his excitement when we're back on the TARDIS.

"Everybody lives! I need more days like this…"

I cut him off. "What about Jack? Why did he say goodbye?" I ask, even though I already know the answer.

**~DW~**

"Coming?" I call to Jack as the TARDIS doors open. He looks back in surprise, before leaping to his feet and dashing into the TARDIS.

I try to show the Doctor how to dance, but he ends up trying to turn me and twisting my arms around.

"Try that one more time _without_ making me a human pretzel?"

He pouts and gives up, turning to Jack.

"Close the doors, could you? Your ship's about to blow, there's gonna be a draft." I roll my eyes, grinning.

Jack smiles, taking my hand and spinning me with much more efficiency than the Doctor.

"Rose!" the Doctor exclaims. "I've just remembered! I can dance!" He clicks his fingers, making dramatic arm motions and stepping forward.

He pulls me out of Jack's reach and spins me perfectly, dipping me backwards. I laugh. I could do this forever.


	16. Bombs, Bad Wolf, and Other Surprises

**~DW~**

I know who it is before Jack opens the door.

"Who the hell are you?" he asks immediately. I bite back a laugh.

"What do you mean, who the hell am I? Who the hell are you?" Mickey retorts.

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack says, flirtatious as always. Mickey pushes him aside and barges into the TARDIS.

"I'm guessing this is Mickey, then?"

"Ricky!" the Doctor exclaims cheerily from his position on a ladder. He's doing TARDIS maintenance work, holding his sonic screwdriver and wearing a headband with a light attached to it. If I'm honest, he's looking pretty dorky.

"My name's Mickey!" I smirk at the pout on his face.

"Don't let him get to you," I say, giving him a hug.

"Hey, why don't I ever get any of that?" Jack calls.

"Buy me a drink first," the Doctor interjects.

"So much work!"

"But worth it," he says, grinning. I roll my eyes.

"Did you find my passport?" I ask him.

"Yeah, here you go," he says, handing it to me. I wave it at the Doctor.

"For the millionth time, you don't need a passport, Rose," the Doctor says.

"Just in case!" I defend. "You never know! I'm ready for anything now."

"Sounds like you're staying, then," Mickey says quietly. The silence that follows is the quintessence of awkward. "Anyway, who's Jumping Jack Flash over there? I mean, big ears are one thing…"

I laugh. The Doctor shakes his head. Jack comes over to stand by me and Mickey.

"…but this guy is…"

"Handsome?" Jack finishes for him.

"Cheesy."

"Early 21st century slang…is cheesy good or bad?"

"Bad."

"But bad means good, am I right?"

"Wait, are you saying that I'm _not_ handsome?" the Doctor asks.

"How long is refueling going to take, Doctor?" I ask before he launches into a three hour speech about how Time Lords are superior to humans.

"Not much longer, we should be back on the road in about twenty-four hours."

"Refueling?" Mickey asks.

"Yeah. There's a rift running through Cardiff that produces energy. The TARDIS uses it as fuel. She soaks up the radiation and off we go!" I explain, as Jack high fives me and the Doctor joins us by the console.

"Into time!" I high five the Doctor and we all say "And space!"

"You all think you're so clever," Mickey says. We all respond in unison.

"Well, yeah."

The four of us pour out of the TARDIS. The streets aren't overcrowded, but they aren't exactly abandoned either.

"The lady over there is looking at us weird," Mickey says, nodding in her direction.

"I'd be curious too, I mean, who knows what four people could get up to in that tiny little box?" Jack says, winking suggestively. I laugh. We all make to walk off.

"We just leave it there?" Mickey asks.

"No one will notice, Ricky. That's the thing about the human race. You see something weird, what do you do? Walk right by it," the Doctor says. He grabs my hand and pulls me along, Jack and Mickey following not far behind.

**~DW~**

"I swear, they were! Six feet tall, with _tusks_…" Jack says. The rest of us are laughing. I nearly fell out of my seat a few times. "And we're standing there, fifteen of us, _naked_…" That's all I need. I _do_ fall out of my seat, laughing so hard my sides hurt. I can't remember the last time I've laughed so hard. I can't remember the last time I've been this _happy_.

"And I'm like, oh, no, no, it's got nothing to do with me! And then it roars, and we _bolted_. Then Brakovitch falls, so I turn to him and say…"

"I knew we should've turned left!" Mickey finishes.

None of us noticed the Doctor standing up, picking up an abandoned newspaper on a nearby table. He holds it up for us to see.

"I was having such a great day," he says sadly.

"Wait; isn't that…what was her name…Margaret? The Slitheen?" I ask, hardly believing.

**~DW~**

We make it to the Town Hall building, heading to the entrance hall. Jack reads off a bunch of facts from his wrist device, and I hardly catch a word of it.

"Jack," the Doctor interrupts. He looks up.

"Sorry. Awaiting orders, sir," Jack says.

"Right, I'll cover Exit One, Jack, cover Exit Two, Rose, take Exit Three, and Mickey, Exit Four," he says, pointing to each area respectively. I nod with understanding. "Everyone got their mobile?" We hold them out. "Alright. Go have fun."

"See ya in hell," Jack grins, heading off. I walk straight to my exit.

The building is awfully empty, with only the occasional employee or official walking by. I scan my surroundings consistently, keeping an eye out specifically for Margaret. Then something catches my eye, and my heart stops for a moment before picking up in double time.

_No way. I must be imagining this. Am I coming down with a fever?_

The pale skin, strawberry blonde hair. The blue eyes that meet mine, looking me over suspiciously.

_The blue eyes that meet mine._ The man walks over to me.

"Excuse me; can I help you with something?"

"What's your name?" I blurt out, knowing he wouldn't recognize my voice since I picked up an accent. Then again, he has too. I wonder how long he's been here.

"James Griffiths," he says, slightly confused.

"Have you got a nickname?" I ask. He frowns.

"No."

"Your eyes," I state simply.

"What about them?"

"You can see. How can you see?"

"I think it's time for you to go. I suggest you leave before I call security." He turns to walk away.

"Iggy, wait!" He freezes.

"What did you call me?" he asks, deathly calm, still facing the other direction.

"Iggy, please. Just turn around. It's me – I…" I pause, swallowing thickly. "It's Max." He turns to face me.

"Prove it," he says. "Prove to me that you aren't just some random recruiter from the School. Tell me something only Max would know." I pause for a moment, thinking.

"When we were twelve, someone accidentally blew up Jeb's favorite notebook. I knew you did it, but neither of us ever said anything."

"Max? Oh my god, Max!" he cries, opening his arms. I race up to him, throwing my arms around him.

"You can see, Iggy," I say breathlessly, pulling back. "How did that happen?"

"They did it," he says. "They brought me back one day, saying they'd perfected the technique…and they were right this time."

"How long have you been in Cardiff?"

"A few years, now," he answers.

I smile. "That's fanta…" Then my mobile rings. Iggy raises an amused eyebrow. I smile sheepishly before I pull out my phone and answer it.

"Slitheen heading north," the Doctor says.

"On my way," I reply, snapping it shut. I smile at Iggy mischievously.

"So, Ig, you up for an adventure?" He smiles right back at me, taking my hand. I take off down a corridor. We race past a group of secretaries, sending paperwork flying. We burst through a set of doors, out of the building. I lead him around a corner, and Margaret nearly runs into us. She turns to run the other way, but Jack is coming up behind her. Then she looks back at the way she came, and the Doctor's right there. But there's another way out, and she races off.

"Where the hell's Mickey?" Jack cries.

"Right here!" he calls from behind us, panting.

"How about we just _catch up with her_ instead of sitting here whining?" I suggest. But when we turn to follow Margaret, she teleports. Iggy's eyes widen and his mouth falls open slightly. The Doctor produces his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and reverses it, sending her running right back at us. They go back and forth several times, Margaret appearing and disappearing.

"What did I ever do to you?" Margaret pants, out of breath.

"You only tried to destroy the planet," I say sarcastically.

**~DW~**

The Doctor leads us all back into the Town Hall, right into the exhibit room for the new nuclear power plant design.

"So you're trapped on Earth, and when we blew up Downing Street, your family died, but you teleport out just in time. So you build a nuclear power station," the Doctor summarizes. "But why?"

"Hold up, you blew up Downing Street?" Iggy asks me excitedly. "I've been trying to figure out who did that for ages! That was the bombing of the century!"

"Still a pyromaniac, then," I smile.

"Why is this wrong? What am I not getting?" the Doctor mutters to himself. Iggy walks over.

"There," he says after a few minutes. He points to something on the blueprints. "This is all wrong. The minute the plant reaches its capacity, it'll blow." The Doctor looks up in surprise.

"That's right! How did you know that? Who are you?" the Doctor praises.

"This is Iggy," I cut in. "He's really good at building things, and he can understand bombs better than anyone I know."

From the corner of my eye, I can see Mickey's eyes widen and his jaw drop. I shoot him a look telling him not to breathe a word.

"Not bad," Jack smiles. "Care to introduce me properly, Rose?" He winks at Iggy, who turns bright red.

Then he turns to me and we do the Flock thing where we can have an entire conversation without really speaking.

_Rose?_

_ It's complicated. I'll explain later._

"Iggy, this is Captain Jack Harkness. That's Mickey, and that's the Doctor."

Iggy waves awkwardly.

"Anyway, back to the matter at hand, isn't someone in London supposed to be checking this stuff? You know, to make sure it doesn't blow up?" I ask.

"We're in _Cardiff_," Margaret says. "They don't care! They wouldn't notice is South Wales fell into the sea…oh, God help me, I've gone native…"

"Why do you even need a power plant to blow up? You'd just kill yourself, right along with the rest of us!" Mickey points out.

"Oh, that's clever!" the Doctor says excitedly, tearing the middle section of the model off. He flips it over to reveal a giant circuit board.

Jack suddenly gets excited. "Is that a tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapalator?! That's genius!" He takes it from the Doctor, examining it more closely. Iggy, Mickey and I just stare on, wondering what language he's speaking.

Jack turns to Margaret. "There's no way you built this. It's way beyond you."

"Let's say it fell into my hands."

"What _is_ it? In English, please," I ask.

"It's a transport device," Jack explains. "If the reactor blew, she would have enough power to stand on this thing and ride out of the solar system."

"Like a surfboard?" Mickey asks.

"Exactly!"

Iggy looks at Margaret. "You would blow up an _entire planet_ to get a lift?" he asks incredulously.

"No different than stepping on an anthill," Margaret counters.

"What did ants ever do to you?" I mutter.

"How did you pick the name?" the Doctor asks suddenly, looking at the banner.

Margaret is startled by the question. "I just chose it at random, is all. _Blaidd Drwg_ – it's Welsh."

"What does that have to do with anything?" I ask, extremely confused by the sudden change in topic. Who cares what the reactor is called?

"It means _Bad Wolf_," the Doctor says. The phrase sounds extremely familiar. I've seen it before, somewhere. No…not somewhere…everywhere.

"Everywhere we go, those two words…how can a phrase be following us?"

He stares into space for a moment, contemplating, then shrugs it off. "Must be a coincidence. Well then, Margaret, we're gonna take you home."

"We just let her go?" Mickey exclaims, disbelief lacing his tone. My yes widen with excitement.

"You mean we get to go to Raxa…"

The Doctor rolls his eyes. "Raxicoricofallapatorius."

I try again, walking toward him. "Raxacorico…"

"…fallapatorius," the Doctor finishes.

"Raxicoricofallapatorius!" I exclaim, yelping delightfully. "I did it!" The Doctor picks me up and spins me in a circle, grinning.

"They'll give me the death penalty," Margaret says. We all turn and look at her like, _Way to kill the mood. Thanks._ She continues. "According to law, the moment I step foot on the planet, I'll be executed. Can you really deliver me to my death?"

Can I? I don't know. I exchange looks with Iggy and Mickey. They're thinking the same as me, but when I look to the Doctor, he's staring coldly at Margaret.

"Not my problem."

**~DW~**

A few hours later, it's dark outside. Margaret is venting about how wonderful the TARDIS is the moment we step in the doors. I look at Iggy's face and laugh.

"It's bigger on the inside!" he exclaims. "How does that work?"

"This is technology of the gods!" Margaret gushes.

"I'd make a terrible god. Don't worship me," the Doctor tells her. I smirk.

"I can only imagine…"

"Hey!"

Jack plops down on the floor next to the console and starts messing around with the intergalactic surfboard thing. Apparently, it's top of the line equipment…that's all I gather from the techno talk. And the fact that we can use it for fuel, and we won't have to stay as long.

Suddenly I realize something, giggling a bit. Everyone stares, especially Iggy. I know exactly what he's thinking. _Since when does Max _giggle?

"It's just," I explain myself, "we've got a prisoner. The police box is really a police box."

"You aren't police," Margaret snips. "You're my executioners. Long night ahead, isn't it? Now who can look me in the eye?" The smirk falls from my face and I stare down at my hands, picking at my already awful-looking nails. The silence is awkward for a while, until Iggy approaches me, nudging my shoulder and motioning to the doors. I nod. He pulls his coat back on and steps outside. I grab my jacket and my scarf, following him out.

**~DW~**

We are barely fifteen feet from the TARDIS before he attacks me with questions.

"What the hell is going on, Max?"

"It's a long story."

"We've got time, haven't we?" Iggy counters. We take a seat at a bench overlooking the bay. I put my feet up on the metal rail and so does he.

"Where do you want to start?"

"They're calling you Rose," he states.

"I was on the streets," I say, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. I hold back tears and anger suddenly takes over. They left me. I was alone. "You made me leave, and I was on the streets for months. I was starving, on the edge of death." Iggy inhales sharply, and I pause to recollect myself. "This woman – Jackie Tyler – she found me in an alley, wanted to help me. She asked me what my name was, and the last thing I wanted to say was Maximum Ride. I didn't want to be Max anymore – I still don't. So I lied."

"And you became Rose?" I nod, staring off into the water. I smile through tears that start to fall.

"I finally have someone to call my mother," I say. "She's one of the best things that ever happened to me. I've grown, learned, and changed so much since you last saw me, Ig."

"You became Rose Tyler?" he asks, but it's more of a statement than a question.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry," he says softly. "about everything. I really am."

"I know."

"What about the Doctor? How did you get wrapped up in aliens and time travel?"

"It just sort of happened one day. He showed up, blew up the department building where I worked, and asked me to come with him. So I did. It was the best decision I ever made. That's the story of me. Now what about you?" I turn to face him.

"It didn't take long for everything to fall apart once you were gone. You always were the glue that held everyone together. Every little argument, every fight – suddenly it meant something more. It just escalated from there, until eventually all of us had gone our separate ways. I have no idea where any of the others are, or whether they're even still alive. I ended up here, in Cardiff – started going by James Griffiths, so the School couldn't track me down – and here we are today," Iggy explains.

"So Nudge, Angel, Gazzy…even Total?" He just shakes his head. I sigh.

"And…_he_ never came back?"

"I don't think Fang is ever going to show his face again. But that's okay, isn't it?" Iggy smirks. I wipe away my tears, eyeing him warily.

"What?"

"You and the Doctor?" My face gets hot, and I sink lower in my seat.

"What about us?" I ask, trying to play it cool, but my voice comes out an octave higher than normal.

"Do you love him?"

"No, don't be ridic…" I trail off when Iggy raises an eyebrow. "Yes." He smiles knowingly. He always could read me like a book.

"Yeah, well _you_ should've seen the look on _your_ face when _Jack_ started flirting with you," I counter. Iggy's jaw drops and I smile wickedly. I knew it.

"You're insane!" he defends, but I glare at him. He shrinks back.

"I…"

"Iggy, I think that's great. Just be careful with Jack, alright? He's the dictionary definition of flirt," I tease.

"Stop it!"

"You know I'm not going to." He gets up and starts walking away quickly, turning redder by the minute. I grin crosses my face.

"Stop it!"

"I am _so_ not going to let this go!"

**~DW~**

Iggy and I lose track of time. I start telling him about my adventures with the Doctor, and his eyes light up.

"Hey…if I ask, I'm sure he'll let you come with us, if you like," I suggest. "I think he likes you. He was impresses with your bomb knowledge and all that."

"You think so?"

"Definitely!"

"That sounds great…" he trails of, a questioning look on his face.

"What?"

"Do you want me to call you Max, or Rose?"

"Oh," I say dumbly. I think for a second. "Well…"

"Alright," he smiles. "Rose it is."

Suddenly there's a low rumbling sound in the distance. We both look at each other and smile, just as people start shrieking and street lights shatter. I grab his hand and we race off, back in the direction of the TARDIS. When we finally make it there, the winds are out of control.

Lightning spikes from the top of the TARDIS into the darkening sky. I flinch at another rumble, and the ground starts cracking as we run across the square into the TARDIS. I slam the doors open.

"What the he…" I start, when suddenly a Slitheen arm has me by the neck. The Doctor rushes forward, but Margaret grabs me tighter. Jack pulls Iggy off to the side, out of her reach.

"One more step and I'll snap her neck." Jack and the Doctor widen their eyes, but Iggy just glances at me.

_Tell me you still know how to fight,_ his expression begs. I wink quickly, so no one catches it.

"Put the extrapalator by my feet," she commands Jack. He glances at the Doctor for approval before placing it on the ground right next to us.

"What about the nuclear power station?" the Doctor asks, stalling.

"I've always got a Plan B," Margaret smiles, yanking on one of my braids. That's when I've had it. I bring my foot up to kick her in the knee, grabbing her arm and twisting it around. Shocked, she loosens her grip on me and I yank her arm behind her back roughly. Now standing behind her, I kick her knee again from the back and her leg buckles. I grab her other arm and hold them both behind her, stepping on one leg to keep her on the ground.

I look up at Iggy, pleased with my work. He's smiling. Jack's eyebrows hit the freaking ceiling, and he smirks. The Doctor's shocked expression is priceless. I smile widely.

Then all of a sudden a panel on the TARDIS console cracks open and blinding light floods out. I squint, glancing at the Doctor. That doesn't normally happen. He gives a small nod that it's okay.

"What is that light?" Margaret asks, staring directly at it. I'm tempted to do the same, but the Doctor's look convinces me not to. I let go of Margaret's arms and she doesn't even seem to notice, completely captivated by the light. Jack grabs my arm and yanks me to him, hugging me quickly. Iggy does the same.

"The heart of the TARDIS. You're looking at the ship's soul."

Margaret's voice is light and dreamy when she speaks, like she's forgotten all the troubles in the world.

"So bright…beautiful…" She looks into the Doctor's eyes. "Thank you." She's engulfed by the light.

"Close your eyes!" the Doctor demands. We all obey, turning our heads away. The light disappears, and he tells us to open our eyes again. He directs us at different levers and switches until we shut it all down. The sky outside returns to normal.

"What happened to Margaret? Did she die?" Iggy asks.

The Doctor kneels down next to the skin suit that's on the floor. He pulls out an egg.

"She's an egg," I state, shrugging. Why not?

"She's an egg?" Jack repeats.

"She's an egg," Iggy confirms, touching the shell.

"She can start her life again, with a proper family that will treat her right," the Doctor says.

**~DW~**

"Jack, where did Mickey go?" I ask a bit later.

"He got a call from a friend, and hopped on the next train back to London. They had a family issue or something," he tells me.

"Well, we're all powered up! We can go now!" the Doctor exclaims. "You going back home, Iggy? I can drop you off."

"Actually, Doctor…I was wondering if I could stay for a while." Iggy asks.

"We've got room for one more, don't we Doctor? Why not?" Jack says.

"Please?" I say, giving him my best puppy dog face.

"All right then," the Doctor caves. "Welcome aboard, Iggy! First stop, Raxicoricofallapatorius!"

"Wait," Iggy says. "Say that one more time? Raxacorico…"

"Oh, not this again!"

**A/N: WELL? WELL? WELL? WELL? IGGY! Tell me what you thought! Hope I did him justice!**


	17. Introducing Rose

**A/N: This is kind of an interlude thing…so…yeah. Because I thought this was appropriate for this part of the story.**

**~DW~**

IGGY'S POV

"Here," Rose says, smiling. "This is your room. Mine is the orange door right there. Jack's is the red one right across from yours, and the Doctor's is the blue one right across from mine." She points at each door respectively.

I open the yellow door slowly, almost afraid of what I might find inside. The room is awfully empty, though, with pale yellow walls and a bed with white sheets. I must look surprised, because Rose smirks.

"Mine looked like this too, when I first came on board. The walls were all boring and whatnot. Look at it now." She leads me down the hall, throwing her door open. The wall is plastered with drawings and pictures, and she's got several pieces of furniture. Gadgets and gizmos lie scattered around the room.

"I collected a lot of this stuff on different planets we went to," she says fondly, picking up a picture that fell of the wall. It's of her and a blonde woman.

"Is that Jackie? Your mother?"

"Yeah," she says, smiling softly. She hands the picture to me. She looks happier than ever.

"Does she know about your wings?" I ask quietly.

"Yes," she tells me. "She was shocked, to say the least. But she accepted it. I got lucky."

"Does the Doctor know?"

"No," she says. "But Jack does. That was an accident, too. We went back to 1941 in the middle of the London Blitz, and I kind of…ended up hanging from a barrage balloon. And I got shot, and he saved me…but he found out."

"And?"

"And what?"

"What did he say?"

"He doesn't have a problem with it, really. I asked him not to tell the Doctor and he hasn't, so I know I can trust him. Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" I stutter, my face turning red.

"You care what Jack thinks," she smirks. "That is so cute!"

"Rose!"

She flops down onto her messy bed, and I sit down next to her. She lies back, closing her eyes and smiling.

I take her in, noticing for the first time how much my best friend has changed. Her hair is a different color – blonde, like her mother in the photograph. She seems so happy and carefree, perfectly content with her life. Rose is completely different from the Max I knew, who was always serious and stressed from the worries of keeping the Flock safe. I'm happy for her. Finally, she gets to do things for herself, because she wants to, instead of making choices out of the best interest of others.

She turns to face me, opening her eyes. "What? You're staring," she says. I give her a small smile.

"You're so different," I say.

"Good different or bad different?"

"Just…different." She rolls her eyes and smacks my arm. There's a knock at the door.

"Come in, Jack!" she calls. I turn over toward the door, which swings open slowly.

Jack smirks, raising his eyebrows when he sees us.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"You wish you were interrupting something," Rose sighs. "Do you need something, Jack?"

He shuts the door behind him, locking it.

"We need to talk."

**~DW~ JACK'S POV**

"Oh," Iggy says, standing. "I guess I'll just go, then, and leave you two…"

Rose cuts him off. "No, this is about you too." He looks a little surprised, and I'm sure I do too.

"Oh, alright," he says cautiously, brushing his hair out of his eyes nervously. He sits back down, shoving his hands into his pockets. Rose gets up and walks around the bed to sit next to him. I pull the chair out from under her desk and place it in front of them before sitting.

"Ask away. You want me to tell you more," she asks, but it's more of a statement than a question. I nod.

"You said they gave you avian DNA," I clarify.

"That's where the wings come from," she nods. Iggy's eyes widen and he turns pale, suddenly realizing what the conversation is about.

"Tell me everything," I tell her. "From the beginning."

"We were in the School…" she starts, but I hold up a hand.

"_We?_" I ask. Iggy clears his throat.

"She's referring to me. And a few others, we called ourselves the Flock. We all had the avian DNA in common. We escaped together."

"Wait, you're like Rose? You have wings too?" He nods.

"Alright, then," I say to myself. "Continue."

"Jeb, he was one of the scientists at the School. He got us out," Rose explains. "I was young, maybe eleven or twelve. We had a nice life for a while. It was peaceful; we didn't have any problems with the School. Jeb took care of us. Then he went missing."

Iggy picks up where she left off. "Rose took over, since she was the oldest. At least, we thought she was. None of us knew when our birthday actually was. Everything really went downhill from there."

I turn to Rose. "I thought you said your birthday was in April?"

"Mum –Jackie – she found me in April. I was living alone on the streets, starving. We're getting there," she says. My jaw drops, and I feel the anger rising inside me. The image of Rose starving on the streets doesn't make me very happy.

"There were a lot of run-ins with other experiments…ones that weren't so kind. Then there were the run-ins with the School itself. And we found out that Jeb hadn't gone missing – he had gone back," Rose says quietly.

"He took care of you, and one day he just up and left?" I ask. They nod.

"Is there anything else I should know about this guy that's going to make me hate him more?"

"He's my father," Rose says quietly. My eyes bug out.

"Sorry, _what_?"

"By then I was about fourteen," Rose continues. "And…Fang and I were kind of…"

"Infatuated?" Iggy suggests. Rose glares at him.

"Fang was another member of the Flock?" I ask. Rose nods.

"He was second oldest, after me, then came Iggy. We were all roughly the same age. After him came Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel. There was Total the last year or so…and Dylan in the last few months."

"And you and him…?" I trail off, waiting for her to fill in the blank.

She stares down at her hands. "I loved him, Jack. And he left." A tear rolls down her cheek, falling into her lap.

"Rosie…" I say softly, walking over to her and gathering her in my arms. This Fang kid is gonna have another thing coming if he ever shows his face again. Rose buries her face in the crook of my neck, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I fell apart," she chokes out. "I couldn't do anything, I didn't want to get up, I didn't want to eat, I was completely miserable. And the Flock was suffering because of me."

"It wasn't your fault, Rose," Iggy says softly, rubbing her shoulder.

"They asked me to leave. They said I was weighing them down, and if I couldn't get myself together maybe it was time I left too. And they were right, they really were. So I left the next day. Things weren't exactly going well…then Jackie found me. You know what happened from there."

I pull back, releasing my hold on her. I brush stray hair out of her eyes.

"Oh, _Rosie_…" I say as she wipes her eyes.

"Sorry…I just…it's been a while since I've talked about these things and…"

"Don't you dare apologize," I tell her. "None of this is your fault. None of it." She smiles sadly, and I can tell she doesn't believe me. It breaks my heart that such a beautiful, kindhearted person has been through all of that.

"Thanks, Jack. I think I just need a hot shower, and I'll go to bed," she sighs. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

I look at her for a moment before nodding. "Night, Rosie." Iggy hugs her quickly, whispering something into her ear before he walks out with me.

We both pause out in the corridor once the door is closed.

"You made her leave?" I ask calmly, keeping my anger in check. Rose doesn't seem angry with him, but if anyone would hide it, it would be her.

"It was the worst mistake I ever made," Iggy says quietly. "I regretted it every single day she was gone. For four years, I've felt guilty."

I believe him. I can see in his eyes, he truly does feel bad.

"Rose trusts you, so I'll trust you too. Don't make me regret that decision. I might've only known her for a few months, but she's the sister I never had, and I will do anything for her. Is that clear?"

"She's been the sister _I've _never had since as long as I can remember. I would never do anything to hurt her on purpose," he says. "I'm going to bed now. Good night, Jack."

I give him a small nod, and he enters his room across from mine a few doors down. I can't help thinking, _The Doctor was right. Rose just attracts all the pretty boys._

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

Once I'm clean and warm in my favorite pajamas, I get in bed to attempt some sleep. It just won't come. My mind is racing, going through old memories that I locked away years ago. After a few hours of tossing and turning, I give up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and walking to the door.

My bare feet lead me to the console room, where the Doctor is under the TARDIS console. He's busy cursing himself in alien languages, tangled in a mess of wires, and he doesn't notice me at first. I sit there for a good twenty minutes before he realizes.

"Rose? When did you get here? Why are you awake? Is it morning already?" I shake my head.

"I can't sleep," I tell him, swinging my legs that are dangling off the ground.

"Why? Is something wrong?" he asks, concerned.

"No, it's just been a crazy day. My mind just won't shut up," I say. He smiles.

"Would you like me to make your mind shut up?"

I'm confused. "How can you do that?"

He gets up and sits down next to me on the captain's chair.

"I'm a Time Lord. I'm telepathic," he says.

"Don't I have to be telepathic, too?"

"Nope," he says. "I just do my magic mind tricks and you wake up tomorrow perfectly well rested."

"Will you be able to see my thoughts?" I ask. I don't want him seeing everything, especially not my past.

"I don't have to if you don't want me to. Just picture a door in front of your thoughts."

"Okay," I agree. "Do your thing."

"Close your eyes." I do what he says, closing my eyes and picturing doors in front of any memories of the School or the Flock. I feel his fingertips of my forehead, and everything goes dark.

**~DW~ THE DOCTOR'S POV**

I grab Rose's arms and keep her from falling as she goes limp in my arms. I pick her up, carrying her to her room and tucking her in. I take once glance back at her sleeping form before flicking the lights off.

Rose is different. I don't know what makes her different, but she is. She truly is special.


	18. Where Am I?

**A/N: And these next few chapters mark the end of Nine. )': Buuuut….the beginning of Ten :D My Doctor! There's a lot of POV changes in this chapter, so PM me if you're confused.**

**And OH MY GOD! More than 50 reviews! (I mean, 51, but still) You guys are awesome! **

**~DW~ THE DOCTOR'S POV**

I know something is wrong when I wake up crouched in a cupboard. I stand quickly, feeling my hands along the walls. Then I fall through a door, landing gracefully on my face. The room I'm in is brightly colored and modern-looking.

"Oh my god! They never said you were coming," a woman exclaims. I stare up at her as she helps me to my feet.

"But what happened? I was…" I trail off, trying to remember something, _anything_. My legs give out and I hit the ground again.

"Careful there," the woman says. "The transmat can scramble you, it can. I was sick for days."

She helps me stand again. Something is wrong.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" she asks.

"The Doctor…I think. I was…I…what happened?"

"You were chosen," she grins, her perfectly white teeth showing. She makes it seem like that explains everything.

"Chosen for what?" I ask warily.

"You're a house mate! Isn't that great?" She laughs. I just stare at her. Another voice comes from behind me.

"This isn't fair!" says a man. "Eviction in five minutes! All nine weeks, we've followed the rules, not a single warning, and now he comes swanning in?" He gestures toward me. If I knew what was going on, I might've been insulted.

A voice rings throughout the room, coming from a speaker somewhere.

"Would the Doctor please come to the Diary Room?" There's a buzzing noise behind me, and I turn to see a silver door. I open it and step inside. I plop down in a bright red chair.

"You are live on channel forty-four thousand. Please do not swear," says the voice.

I raise my eyebrows. "You have got to be kidding me."

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

Naturally, I freak out when I wake up in a dark room. A single beam of light hits my face.

"What happened?" I ask aloud, hoping someone like the Doctor or Iggy will answer me.

"You're fine," says a man, crouching beside me. "Just the transmit, does your head in. Get a bit of amnesia. What's your name?"

"Rose…but where's the Doctor?" I ask.

"Just do what the Android says," the man warns. "Don't provoke it."

"Android? You mean, like a robot?"

A voice calls out, "Positions, everyone! Thank you!" I start to freak.

"Positions for what? What's going on? I was with the Doctor, and Iggy, and Jack…they wouldn't leave me…" The man helps me to my feet, leading me to a podium.

"I'm not supposed to be here," I conclude. I look around at the six podiums, one with my name on it. "Or am I?" The man dashes to his own podium – labeled Roderick – and I take my place behind mine. "I must be going insane," I mutter to myself. Then I notice Iggy taking a podium across from me. We shoot each other looks as the director counts down from thirty.

**~DW~ JACK'S POV**

Blurry faces come into my vision as I open my eyes. With them come robotic voices, which seem to be analyzing me.

"…sort of handsome…"

I shake my head, waking myself up completely. I take in the chair I'm sitting in and the two robot chicks standing over me.

"He he…nice to meet you ladies and all, but, where the hell am I?" I ask.

"We're giving you a brand new image," one of them says.

"Alright, hold on, I was with the Doctor…." Then I trail off. She just insulted my fashion sense! "Wait; is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"It's a bit 20th century," one says. I catch her label. Zu-Zana. "Where did the denim come from?"

"Shop in Cardiff," I tell her.

The other speaks up – Trin-E. "You're going to need some new colors."

I stand, facing them, putting my hands on my hips. I open my mouth to defend myself but nothing comes out, and all I can think is: _Is my fashion sense really that bad?_

"Just stand still and let the Defabricator work its magic," Zu-Zana says.

"Wha…" I start, but a beam hits my clothing and suddenly it's gone. "Alright, then. Naked in front of millions of viewers. Ladies, your viewing figures just went up."

**~DW~ THE DOCTOR'S POV**

The sonic buzzes as I try to open the door. My sonic doesn't do a thing. My sonic works on _everything_…except wood, that is.

"It won't open," I tell Lynda, now that I've learned her name.

"Yeah, they've got special locks on the doors, since Big Brother Five Hundred and Four when they all walked out, remember?"

I scan the entire room, looking for all possible exits. I've got to get out of here, and find Rose. Jack and Iggy, too.

Lynda lowers her voice. "We aren't supposed to talk about the outside world, but...do they like me?"

"I don't remember," I say, brushing her off. I need to focus.

"Does that mean I'm nothing? Have I gotten this far just because I'm insignificant?" she asks quickly. I turn to look at her.

"No, you're nice," I tell her. "Everybody thinks you're sweet."

"Why are you so keen on getting out of here anyway? Just play along," Lynda suggests when I go right back to work.

"I've got to get back to the TARDIS…" I say, and then it hits me. "I remember! I remember everything! We were just talking, and laughing…then there was this bright light…I woke up here." I don't mention how Rose was being pulled away. I don't mention how scared I was that I would lose her.

I don't mention how she might very well be gone.

"Yeah, that's the transmit beam," Lynda says.

"No, Lynda with a Y…sweet Lynda…it's much worse than that." I look into the camera angrily. "Here's the latest update from the Big Brother House! I'm getting out. I'm gonna find my friends, and I'm gonna find you."

**~DW~ IGGY'S POV**

"Let's play 'The Weakest Link'!" the Android says cheerily. I glance at Rose, who gives me a look that just says 'go with it'. "Let's start the clock!"

"Agorax," the Android says to another player (what the hell kid of name is Agorax?), "the name of which basic foodstuff is an anagram of the word 'beard'?" I sigh with relief. I might actually know the answers to these questions.

She continues, asking another question to someone else. Then she moves to Rose. "Rose, in maths, what is 258 minus 158?"

"100!" she exclaims, looking pleased with herself. I smirk. At least she learned to add. If you asked her what 2 plus 2 was five years ago, she would've said 'fish'.

The Android goes around the circle, and my heart starts pounding when she comes to me. "Iggy, which letter of the alphabet appears in the word 'dangle' but not in the word 'gland'?"

"E!" I say after a moment. She informs me that I'm correct and moves on. The guy after me looks pretty upset when he gets one wrong. She goes around the circle again, coming to Rose.

"Rose, in the holovid series 'Jupiter Rising', the Grexnik is married to whom?"

She looks completely bewildered. "Say _what _now?"

"Incorrect." Rose just turns to look at me, and snorts. I hold back a laugh. This is ridiculous.

**~DW~ JACK'S POV**

I have fun with it, honestly. I try on clothes – a lot of clothes – and the robots critique them.

"Once we've got an outfit, we'll look at the face," Trin-E says. "Ever thought about cosmetic surgery?"

"Yeah, I've considered it. Little lift around the eyes, tighten up the jaw line," I admit.

"No," Trin-E says. "I was thinking more cutting-edge."

Then she takes a cap off her forearm, revealing a chainsaw.

Well, I'm screwed.

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

Once the round of questions is over, we have to vote for who gets kicked out of the game. I write down the name of the person who I think got the most wrong.

"Rose, why did you choose Fitch?"

"Well, I think she got a few questions wrong," I say casually.

"You'd know all about that," the Android says. Did a _robot_ just get sarcastic with me?

Fitch stares at the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks. I feel bad.

"I'm sorry, that's just how it works. I had to vote for someone, it couldn't be me…"

"Please," she begs to the Android. "Let me try again. Please!" I glance at Iggy, alarmed. Something tells me we are both missing something huge here. We watch the Android as a gun protrudes from her mouth. A golden yellow laser flashes across the room that hits Fitch. When the light fades away, she is gone. Smoke rises from the spot she once stood.

I look to Iggy, terrified, as the director announces commercial break.

"But I…I voted for her…this is sick. I'm done!" I cry. Another contestant seems to have the same opinion as me, running off the podium. He isn't even halfway to the door when the Android fires.

**~DW~ DOCTOR'S POV**

"Please come sit, Doctor," Lynda begs. "If you don't obey, we all get punished." I sigh, joining her on the couch with the other two gathered around the television.

"Crosbie, Lynda, and Strood, you have all been nominated for eviction. The eighth person to be evicted from Big Brother House is…Crosbie!"

"Oh, Crosbie!" Lynda says. "I'm so sorry!"

"Crosbie, you have ten seconds to say goodbye, then we're gonna get you!" They all rush to the door.

"I won't forget you," Lynda promises.

"Thanks for the food, you're a smashing cook. Bless you," Strood says. The door slides open and Crosbie steps inside.

"Poor Crosbie," Lynda says, very nearly close to tears. I roll my eyes.

"It's just a television show. She'll make a fortune on the outside!" I exclaim.

"What do you mean, 'on the outside'?" Lynda asks, staring at me like I'm crazy. She motions to the screen that shows Crosbie trembling inside the room. A bolt of golden yellow light comes down, striking her and she vanishes.

"She's been evicted…from life," Lynda says.

"Are you INSANE? You people just sign up for this?" I cry.

"You act like we've got a choice!" Lynda says.

"Well you've got to apply, don't you?"

"That's how they played it centuries back," Strood says, shaking his head.

"Whether you like it or not, they choose you! There are sixty Big Brother houses running at once, the transmit just picks people at random!" Lynda explains, frustrated and confused.

"_Sixty_?" I repeat.

"It's not what it used to be, they've had a cutback," says Strood, thinking the exact opposite of what I am.

"What do the winners get?"

"They get to live," Lynda says. Suddenly I panic.

"Rose is out there. She was caught in the transmit, she's a contestant. I've got to get her out," I say, determined. "Lynda, you mentioned another contestant who was forcibly evicted. What did she do?"

"Damaged property."

Alright then. Easy as pie. I point my sonic directly at the nearest camera, destroying it.

**~DW~ JACK'S POV**

I stand in front of a mirror, looking myself up and down. Zu-Zana and Trin-E have me in tennis clothes.

"I'm just not feeling it ladies. It's not doing anything for me, ya know?"

"Stage Two ready and waiting!" Zu-Zana says, defabricating me again.

"Time for the face-off!" Trin-E says.

"I get to compete with someone else?" I ask. Poor guy, he'll be heartbroken.

"No, like I said – face…off!" Trin-E repeats, holding up her arms. There're needles on the tips of her fingers, and her other arm is a chainsaw. I stare at her, mildly surprised, already formulating an escape plan. The two robots go back and forth, suggesting different ways to detach and reattach my body parts.

"Hold up there, ladies," I interrupt. "I don't want to have to shoot either one of you."

"You're unarmed!" Trin-E says.

"You're naked!" Zu-Zana says. I smirk at them, pulling out my Compact Laser Deluxe.

"Where were you hiding that?" Trin-E exclaims. She moves toward me. "Give me that!"

But I'm ready. Two shots and I'm standing naked in front of two headless designer robots.

**~DW~ IGGY'S POV**

A lot sooner than I would've liked, there are three people left in the game – me, Rose, and Roderick.

"Colleen was clever, she banked all our money! Why'd you vote for her?" Rose demands of Roderick. She knows why I didn't vote for her, but I have to admit, I'm curious as to how the two of us have lasted this long. Every once and a while a question will crop up that we actually know the answer to, but all the others we've gotten wrong.

"You two are idiots! You don't even know the Princess Vossaheen's surname! When we get to the final, I want to be up against one of you, it'll be easy for me to win! You get disintegrated; I get a stack-load of credits, courtesy of the Bad Wolf Corporation…"

"Who's Bad Wolf?" Rose instantly demands. She looks worried – more worried – all of a sudden. I can see it in her eyes.

"They run the Game Station!" Roderick exclaims, talking to her like she's a child.

"Why are they called Bad Wolf?" I ask, trying to get to her point faster.

"I don't know, it's from an old Earth nursery rhyme or something. What does it matter?"

"I keep hearing those words, everywhere I go. Bad Wolf. In 1860, in 2012, back on the Estate…different times, different places, like it's written all over the universe," she says, lost in thought. "If this has something to do with Bad Wolf – those words that keep following us, maybe we aren't just here on accident, Iggy."

**~DW~ DOCTOR'S POV**

"Doctor, you've broken the house rules," says the voice over the loudspeaker. "Big Brother has no choice but to evict you. You have ten seconds to make your farewells, and then we're gonna get you!"

I race up to the doors, bouncing up and down on my feet. "Come on then! Open up!"

"You're mad! Do you want to die?" Lynda cries. The door slides open and I dash into the white room. Strood rushes back to the sofa to watch, and Lynda slides sideways along with the door as it shuts, keeping me in her line of vision as long as possible.

"Disintegrate me, then!" I shout to the ceiling. "What are you waiting for?" I grin when the loudspeaker begins to count down.

"5…4…3…2…1…" And the sound of the power failing.

"I knew it!" I exclaim. "I was brought here, on purpose. If they wanted me dead, they could just transmit me into a volcano. Whoever they are, they need me alive. And I bet the security isn't as tight on this end."

I turn to the other side of the room, sonicing the door which swings open. The other door I entered through swings open as well. Lynda stands there, staring.

"Come with me. Don't stay there and take your chances. It's not worth it, I can help you," I tell her, holding out my hand. She hesitates for a moment, but she grabs it, and I pull her through with me.

I recognize the room we enter. "This is Satellite Five! Floor 56!" The huge sign stands out.

"No one has called this place Satellite Five in about a century," Lynda says. "It's just the Game Station."

"Actually, exactly a century. One hundred years. I should know, I've been here before. It's the year two hundred thousand one hundred. Two hundred thousand, I was on Floor 139, they were broadcasting news channels, there was a bit of trouble upstairs."

"A hundred years ago?" Lynda asks.

"Yep!" I busy myself with opening a door.

"A hundred years ago?" she repeats. I scan the door, ignoring her. I don't have time for the whole time travel conversation right now. I need to find the others.

"All sorts of readings," I say aloud to myself. "This place doesn't need that much power. What's it all for?"

I move along to another door. "I had three friends, travelling with me. Where might they be?" I ask Lynda.

"There's a hundred different games, they could be anywhere," Lynda says. I sigh, frustrated. I was hoping she wouldn't say that.

"What kind of games?" I ask.

"Well, you know that we just came from Big Brother. Stars in Their Eyes…literally. If you don't sing, they blind you. Wipeout, which really speaks for itself…"

"You watch this stuff?" I ask, disbelieving. That's not television, that's torture.

"Everyone does, except for you apparently. You keep saying things that don't make sense. Why won't you just tell me who you are, really?"

I move on to another door. "I'm a traveler."

"So if we get out of here, you're just going to wander off again?"

"Fast as I can," I reply truthfully.

"I could come with you," she states, but it's more of a question.

"Maybe you could," I smile. Rose might enjoy some female company on board, and Lynda has good potential. "But first, we need to get out. Who's in charge of the satellite?"

She pulls down a lever on the wall, lighting up a sign dramatically.

Bad Wolf Corporation. Something's up.

**~DW~ JACK'S POV**

After hooking up my laser to the Defabricator to make myself a gun, I start my search for the Doctor. I find myself on Floor 299. I glance down at my wrist device, which just completed its scan for beings with two hearts. I place my hand on a door panel, opening the lift, then I press a few buttons impatiently and I'm on my way. Then I go back to my wrist device, and change the settings. It starts its search for beings with wings.

**~DW~ DOCTOR'S POV**

"Oh, wow," Lynda breathes when we step onto the observation deck. We have a perfect view of planet Earth. But rather than blue, green, and white, the entire planet is gray and ugly.

"What happened?"

"It's always been like that, since I was born, really," Lynda says simply.

"It's all wrong. _Again._ This is supposed to be the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. Last time I was here I put it right. Now it's wrong again."

"That's when it went wrong," Lynda says. "The news channels shut down. There was no more information, the whole planet froze. That was the start of it, one hundred years of hell."

I look down on the gray, barren planet that used to be lush and green, guilt taking over. It's all my fault. I made this world.

Suddenly, Jack bursts into the room, grinning.

"There you are!" he exclaims. He notices Lynda. "Oh, hello there, I'm Jack…"

"Stop it."

"What did I do?"

"Where's Rose? Iggy?" I ask.

"I don't know, I can't track them down. The rooms are shielded, the signal won't go through, so they're still inside the games somewhere. We'd better hurry up, because these games don't exactly end happily."

"I know!" I snap. Doesn't he get it? Of course I'm going to hurry! This is _Rose_ we're talking about here. I start fiddling with the computer stand, trying to hack it. Jack hands me his wrist device.

"It's programmed to find them," he says. I turn to hook it up to the computer. He turns to Lynda.

"And you are?"

"Lynda Moss."

"Lovely to meet you, Lynda Moss."

The computer bleeps at me, and I whack it angrily. Jack's wrist device isn't compatible. I chuck it at him, and he catches it.

"Something's up, these systems are too complicated. This station is transmitting more than just television. And Bad Wolf has something to do with it. It's manipulating my life, and Rose has gotten caught up in it."

Jack's wrist device beeps. "It found them!" he says. "They're on Floor 407!"

"Oh my god, they're with the Android! We've got to get them out!" Lynda says frantically.

We race to the lift, and Lynda presses the button quickly. I watch impatiently as the numbers slowly light up floor by floor. Finally the doors open, and I bolt out.

"Game Room Six! Where is it?"

"Over here!" Lynda says, pointing at a door. I whip out the sonic, scanning it.

"Come on, come on!" I shout urgently.

**~DW~ IGGY'S POV**

My heart pounds furiously as we come to the end of the round.

Rose lost.

"No, this isn't right, I'm not even meant to be here…" she rambles nervously. Then the doors burst open. The Doctor, Jack, and a girl I don't recognize rush into the room. They're far away, but I can still tell it's them.

"Rose!" the Doctor shouts. The relief on her face is plainly visible.

"Iggy!" Jack shouts. He turns to the directors. "Stop the game!"

"Stop the game!" the Doctor repeats, running across the room. Rose knocks her podium aside, running toward him. The Android's head turns and her jaw hinges down.

"ROSE!" I yell. "LOOK OUT!" She turns back just as the disintegrator beam hits her. The Doctor stands mere feet away from the pile of ash that used to be my best friend. I kick my podium aside angrily.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HER?"

The Doctor kneels down, picking up ash with his fingers, staring at it brokenly. I fight back tears, yelling at the security that approaches him from behind.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" I say, starting forward, but another guard grabs me from behind, tying y hands together.

"You killed her!" Jack cries angrily. "Your stupid freaking game show killed her!"

**~DW~ DOCTOR'S POV**

She's gone. Rose is gone. The one best thing that's ever happened to me, and she's gone.

They search us, shove us in a prison cell, and interrogate us. They take convict photos. The guard turns to leave us in our cell, opening the door to leave.

"Let's do it," I say quietly to Jack. We attack, leaving guards piled on the floor unconscious. We take their guns, heading straight for the lift.

"Floor 500," I demand.

At the top, we step out of the elevator and people stare. We hold up our guns.

"Off to the sides. And stay there," Iggy commands.

"Move away from the desks. Nobody try anything clever!" Jack puts in.

"Who's in charge of this place?" I ask. No response. "Who killed Rose Tyler? I want an answer!"

"She can't reply," says a man. I swing around to him.

"Don't shoot!" he begs. I toss the gun to him.

"Like I was going to shoot. What were you saying?"

"But…I've got your gun…"

"Then shoot me. Why can't she answer?"

"The Controller is linked to the transmissions. She doesn't recognize your existence because you aren't staff."

"Archive Six is out of bounds!" cries a woman. I turn around, and Iggy has his hand on a door. Jack is busy securing the lift.

"I've always been an out of bounds kind of guy," Iggy says coldly. "I learned from the best. Her name was Rose Tyler." He opens the door, and Jack follows him in. I turn back to the staff.

"Doctor," I hear suddenly. The Controller. "They wired my head, their name is forbidden. My masters control my thoughts. They monitor the transmissions, not the programs. I hid you inside the games."

"My friend _died_ inside your games."

"Doesn't matter."

"Don't you DARE tell me it doesn't matter!" I roar.

"They wait. They plan, they grow in numbers. My masters are so strong. But they speak of you. They fear the Doctor."

"Found the TARDIS!" Jack interrupts, coming back into the room.

"We aren't leaving now," I tell him, looking at him like he's crazy.

"The TARDIS worked it out," he says cheerily. I frown. Why is he so happy? Rose is gone.

"Lynda, could you stand over there for me please?" he asks. Lynda obeys. He presses a button and a beam hits her. She vanishes to dust, just like Rose. I stare on, horrified.

"Jack, what's wrong with you? You killed her!"

He simply presses the button again, and she reappears, completely unharmed.

"What the hell was that?"

At first I'm relieved. Then I realize. Rose. She isn't gone, she's fine. She's somewhere else. I can find her.

"Rose is alive!"

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

I open my eyes slowly, at first only aware of the cold, hard floor. Then I take in the familiar monster in front of me.

"Hello, Maximum. How lovely it is to see you again!" says the man cheerily.

I glare at him, annoyed more than anything else. It's the voice I hear next that makes my blood run cold.

"THE EX-PER-I-MENT HAS AR-I-VED!"

**~DW~ IGGY'S POV**

I watch the Doctor dash from computer to computer, pressing buttons. The Controller cried out coordinates, but suddenly she's gone, vanished.

"They took her, too," the Doctor says. One of the programmers hands Jack a disk.

"I kept a log of all the unauthorized transmissions. The coordinates might be on there."

"Thanks," Jack says flirtatiously. "Captain Jack Harkness." I frown. I don't like this programmer guy.

"Davitch Pavale."

"There's a time and a place, Jack," I interrupt. He turns back, winking at me before returning to work. I turn red.

Jack hands a small remote to the Doctor, who presses a button. A wide, empty screen appears above our heads.

"Transmat will deliver to that point."

The Doctor presses a few more buttons, and an image appears on the screen. I walk over to stand in between him and Jack for a better look. They've both frozen up.

"Impossible. Those ships, they were destroyed," Jack says quietly.

"Two hundred ships, more than two thousand on board each one. That's half a million."

"Half a million what?" I ask.

"Daleks."

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

Dr. Gunther-Hagen has me handcuffed, wings stretched out. I would say I'm terrified (which I am, of course, I mean, freaking DALEKS) but I'm more confused than anything else.

"How did you get here?" I ask.

"Working for the School was merely a hobby, Maximum. I also worked for the Time Agency," he says, pulling up the sleeve of his lab coat to show me a vortex manipulator.

"Do you ever take off that freaking coat? Seriously, what is it with guys never changing their clothes?"

He narrows his eyes at me, staying silent.

"Now that I have you here, I can carry on my ongoing tests."

"What ongoing tests?"

"What effect time travel has on a mutant," he tells me, pulling a tool out of his pocket that doesn't look too inviting.

I swallow. "What do the Daleks have to do with any of this?"

"They are my allies."

I snort. "Daleks don't have allies."

"I'm here, am I not?"

Two of the previously mentioned metal monsters slide into the room.

"A-LERT. A-LERT. WE ARE DE-TEC-TED. THE DOC-TOR HAS LO-CAT-ED US."

"O-PEN COM-MUN-I-CA-TION CH-ANN-EL."

An image materializes midair. The Doctor, Jack, and Iggy all appear, along with two women and a man I don't know. I smile, relieved that they've found me, when I realize.

My wings. The Doctor looks shocked for a moment, but hides it well. Jack gives me an apologetic look, and Iggy gives me a reassuring one. Iggy eyes Dr. HG with distaste.

"I WILL TALK TO THE DOC-TOR."

"Will you? That's nice," the Doctor says with false cheer.

"OUR FLEET IS AL-MOST READY. YOU WILL NOT IN-TER-VENE."

"Why's that then?"

"WE HAVE YOUR AS-SO-CI-ATE. O-BEY OR SHE WILL BE EX-TER-MI-NAT-ED." My heart pounds.

"No."

My jaw drops. What's he doing? Dr. HG looks at him like he's crazy.

"EX-PLAIN YOUR-SELF."

"I said 'no'."

"WHAT IS THE MEAN-ING OF THIS NEG-A-TIVE?"

"It means 'no'."

"BUT SHE WILL BE DES-TROY-ED."

"No! Because this is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna rescue her."

He's gonna rescue me.

"I'm gonna save Rose Tyler from the middle of a Dalek fleet, and then I'm gonna save the Earth, and then to finish off, I'm gonna wipe every last STINKING Dalek out of the sky!" Then he looks directly at me.

"Rose?"

"Yeah, Doctor?"

"I'm coming to get you."


	19. The Gamestation

**~DW~**

Basically, the Daleks start to freak. They round on me.

"YOU UN-DER-STAND THE DOC-TOR! PRE-DICT HIS AC-TIONS!"

"Hate to break it to you, but I'm not a mind reader. That would be Angel's thing," I say casually, turning to Dr. GH.

"Really, Maximum, it would be in your best interest to do what they ask. They aren't like the scientists of the School. They have no perception of human emotions."

"Actually, that's the exact reason why they _are _like the scientists of the School!" I exclaim with false cheer.

"TAR-DIS DE-TECT-ED. IN FLIGHT."

"LAUNCH MISSILES! EX-TER-MI-NATE!"

"That's not a good idea," I warn them in a sing-song voice.

"These creatures are some of the most dangerous in the universe, and they are under my command. They will do whatever I ask of them when I ask for it. Do you understand that? If you do not do exactly what I tell you, I can order them to kill," Dr. GH threatens.

"But you won't!" I say knowingly. "You won't kill me – you can't. You need me alive to experiment on me, don't you?"

Then I hear it. It's the most beautiful sound in the universe – the TARDIS. She materializes around the two of us. The Doctor, Jack, and Iggy come into view.

Dr. GH pulls out a gun from his coat, yanking me back and pressing the barrel to my head. He smiles calmly.

"Take one step and she dies," he says.

"I don't think so," says another voice from behind me. Iggy. Dr. GH's grip loosens and the Doctor holds out his arms, motioning for me to come forward. I rush to him, and he wraps is arms around me tightly.

"You're alright?"

"I don't know," I whisper.

"Why?" he asks, alarmed. "What's wrong?"

"Are you mad?"

Then he just looks confused.

"It's not like I've got fifteen foot wings that I was hiding from you or anything," I say, defaulting to my sarcasm because my nerves refuse to let anything else function. Realization dawns on him. He shakes his head.

"Later," he says.

"Now, who the hell is this guy?" Jack asks. I turn away from the Doctor's embrace to look over at him. He sonics my handcuffs and they drop to the floor. Iggy has Jack's Defabricator gun held up to Dr. GH's head.

"I'm Doctor Gunther-Hagen. I am an experimental scientist."

"He works for the School," Iggy says coldly, glaring at the back of the whitecoat's head.

"And the Time Agency, apparently. He has a vortex manipulator," I interject.

"We don't have time for this, not right now," the Doctor says. "There's a Dalek fleet right outside those doors. Jack, lock him up somewhere that he can't do damage."

Jack nods, ordering Dr. GH to put his hands on his head and walking him through the TARDIS to a room where I hopefully never have to be.

"You said they were extinct," I turn to the Doctor. "How are they still alive?"

"What are they?" Iggy asks.

"Daleks. The only emotion they can feel is hate," the Doctor says bitterly. "They were there, in the Time War, along with my people. My people were destroyed, but they took the Daleks with them. I almost thought it was worth it." I place a comforting hand on his shoulder. He just turns back to the console pretending to work on something while we wait for Jack. I go stand by Iggy, who gives me a small smile.

"What?" I ask.

"Your wings. They make you look more like you again," he says quietly. I return his smile.

"I'm just scared, Ig. I don't want him to bring me back," I admit.

"Well, if he brings you back, he'll have to bring the both of us," he says, unfurling his own set of cream colored feathers. The Doctor turns around at the ruffling sound.

"You too?" Iggy just smiles. Then Jack walks into the room.

"Alright then," he says, making our awkward silence seem even more awkward. "Daleks?"

"Daleks," I agree. The Doctor walks over to the doors, stepping out of the TARDIS.

At first, we're ambushed by small beams of death and a chorus of "EX-TER-MI-NATE!" all of which are blocked by the fantastic shielding Jack and the Doctor set up. We stand there casually until it all dies down. The Daleks are completely silent, just staring.

"Do you know what they called me in the ancient Dalek legends? The Oncoming Storm. You might have rid yourselves of emotions, but I'll bet there's one spark left deep down. Fear. Doesn't it just hurt to even look at me? Now, spill. How did you survive the Time War?" the Doctor demands.

"They survived through me," says a deep mechanical voice, and we all turn to the right to see a Dalek that's pretty freaking huge. And when I say huge, I mean like wow-that-could-scare-the-crap-out-of-a-herd-of-elephants huge.

"The Dalek Emperor," the Doctor whispers.

"The Dalek race died in your fire, but my ship survived, falling through time."

"I get it," the Doctor says impatiently.

"DO NOT IN-TER-RUPT!"

"I'm the Doctor. If there's one thing I can do, it's talk. I've got five billion languages, and you can't stop me. So if anyone's going to shut up, it's YOU!" he says, with indescribable force. I unconsciously take a step back, and the Daleks

"The Dr. Gunther-Hagen helped me to restore the Daleks. Where is he?"

"Where he belongs," I say. "Locked up."

"BLA-SPHEMY!" a Dalek shrieks.

"Since when did Daleks have a concept of blasphemy?" the Doctor asks, troubled.

"The D. Gunther-Hagen and I created new life. We are the Gods of all Daleks."

"Oh my god," Iggy mutters angrily. "It isn't enough to experiment on humans, is it? He has to make a race of evil aliens, too!"

"They're insane," the Doctor tells us. "They're contaminated, with human DNA. They hate their own existence, and that makes them more deadly than ever. We're going."

The Daleks cry out to us, commanding us to stay where we are as we walk back into the TARDIS. They fire, but it's useless. I watch the Doctor, Iggy, and Jack, looking back one last time at the Daleks before slamming the door.

The Doctor leans against the wall, sighing. I've never seen him so helpless before.

"I'm going to talk to Dr. GH. It might help," I announce. "Jack, can you show me where you took him?" He nods, leading me out into the corridor, Iggy following wordlessly behind.

**~DW~**

Iggy closes the door, locking it with an audible click. Jack goes back to the console room. We're in a room that looks like a prison. There are cells with iron bars lining the walls. Dr. GH is to my immediate right.

"I was wondering when you would be coming to visit," he says.

"Do you realize what you've done?" I demand angrily. "The Daleks are the most evil, dangerous species in all of time and space – and _you_ helped bring them back. After everything the Doctor had to give up to stop them."

"Oh," Dr. GH says, his eyes widening. "I see."

"See what?" Iggy asks.

Dr. GH looks me dead in the eye. "You love him, the alien."

"That has _nothing_ to do with our current conversation," I growl. "All those lives you ruined, all those experiments at the School – it just wasn't enough? All those kids you locked in cages and…"

He cuts me off. "You're one to talk," he says, nodding at the bars.

"No," Iggy says. "Don't make us sound like you. We locked you up so you couldn't do anymore damage. You locked us up for _fun_."

"For _science_. Some have to suffer for the greater good."

"Well, congrats," I tell him. "Because of you, the whole universe is going to suffer."

"You have to understand, I never meant for this. I had no idea what the Daleks were capable of," he says. I gaze at him.

"I think he's telling the truth, Iggy. I think he feels bad about the Daleks."

"I do, honestly. If there was anything I could do to try and stop them, I would."

**~DW~**

Back in the console room, Jack is waiting for us.

"Is he…?"

"Yeah," Iggy says simply. "He's a whitecoat."

"Okay. This is insane," Jack says, rubbing his forehead. "Come on, the Doc's waiting for us."

We walk outside, finding ourselves back on the Gamestation – Floor 500. The Doctor is talking to the people from the video I didn't recognize.

"Hi," says the younger girl. "I'm Lynda." She's very cheery.

"Speaking of which, Lynda, why are you still here? I told you to evacuate everyone!" the Doctor says.

"I didn't want to leave you," she says. I narrow my eyes. She's laying on the flirting a bit thick. I catch Iggy's eye and he snorts.

"Yeah, well, I'm Rose," I say shortly, shaking her hand.

The Doctor gets to work immediately, ripping wires out of desks and tossing them in a pile. He talks to us while he works.

"The Daleks have an army, but we have a transmitter. If I can channel the signal, fold it back…anyone?"

"You're kidding," Jack says. "A Delta Wave?"

"I've read about those!" Iggy exclaims. "When I did my…well, my bomb research. It sends out a wave of energy, right? And it fries your brain, it practically barbeques anything in its path!"

"This place can produce a massive wave," the Doctor explains. "We can wipe out all the Daleks!"

"Get it started then!" Lynda cries.

"Trouble is," Jack says, "this can take up to three days to build. How long til the Daleks get here?"

"Twenty two minutes," answers the Programmer Guy.

The Doctor rushes all the more, yanking out more wires and beaming at us. Iggy goes over to help him.

"I'm setting up a force field so they can't blast us out of the sky," Jack says, headed to the computer. I follow him, knowing I'm awfully useless with wires. Lynda and the two programmers gather around too. "That doesn't stop the Daleks invading, though. They'll have to get to this floor, and I can concentrate the extrapolator around the top six levels, so they'll have to fight their way up."

"Who are they fighting?" asks Programmer Guy.

"Us," I answer.

"The guards had bastic bullets in their guns, we can blow some Daleks wide open," Jack informs us.

"There's _five_ of us," points out Programmer Girl.

"What about Dr. GH?" Iggy suggests. "He could help. He said he would try to stop them if he could. We need people."

"You trust him?" Jack asks me. I nod. I have faith he'd do what he said he would.

"I'll go get him," I say, walking back into the TARDIS.

**~DW~ IGGY'S POV**

"I'm sending you home," the Doctor tells me once Rose is inside and the door is closed. He's pulled me off to the side.

"Come again?" I say, not quite believing what I hear.

"I promised Jackie I would keep Rose safe. She'll be happier if you go with her."

"Why are you sending her back?" I ask, though I already know the answer. "Is there even a chance that this could end with us on top? At all?" The silence is all the response I need.

"Alright," I agree. There's no reason for Rose to stay if everyone is going to die anyway. She has a life back on Earth, that she built for herself, and she can move on. She's done it before, she can do it again, she's strong. "But I'm not going."

"Why not?"

"I can help. I'm good with wires, or I can fight if I need to. I'm not going anywhere. You need all the extra hands you can get. It's not like I have a family to go back to on Earth," I say.

_And I'm not leaving Jack._

"Are you sure?" he asks.

"Yes."

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

"Rose, can you help me? I need all these wires stripped down!" the Doctor calls.

"I'm helping them fight, Doctor."

"Rose," Jack says. "Really, you should stay here."

"I think not!" I cry angrily. "I'm not sitting back while you're out there on the front lines!"

"Rose," Iggy says softly. I turn to him. "You have to remember what we're fighting here. They're _Daleks_ – not Erasers of Flyboys. Maybe it's best if you sit this one out."

"I…"

"Please," he says. I sigh.

"Alright, I'll stay here and help. But I want one of those guns, Jack, just in case." Jack nods, tossing one to me. I catch it, setting it gently on the desk. The other three grab their guns, heading to the lift. Lynda stops by the Doctor.

"I just wanted to say thanks, I suppose. I'll do my best," she says. I frown. They shake hands, laughing awkwardly. I take my anger out on the wires while I watched the Doctor's eyes follow Lynda out of the room.

Jack walks up to us with a sad smile on his face. I drop the wires.

"It's been fun," he says lightly. I smile. "But I guess this is goodbye."

"Don't talk like that, we're gonna get out of this. We always do," I tell him.

"Rose…" he says softly, bringing a hand up to my face. "You are worth fighting for." He presses his lips to mine quickly. I blush when he pulls away, rocking back on my heels and looking at the floor. It takes everything I have not to burst out laughing when he does the same to the Doctor.

Finally, he approaches Iggy, and without a moment's hesitation, kisses him. And I don't mean like he kissed me and the Doctor. I mean _kissed_ him. I smile widely. They pull back.

"Nice knowing you, Iggy."

"Same here, Jack Harkness."

"Well," Jack sighs. "See ya in hell." He gives us a mini salute as he jogs out. Iggy is still standing there, dazed.

"Close your mouth, you'll catch flies," I tell him.

**~DW~**

The Doctor gets to work connecting wires, and I sit by him stripping them down. Iggy is a few feet away, ripping more out of the computers.

"Is it possible for us to go back a week's time and warn everyone?" Iggy asks suddenly.

"No," the Doctor says. "Once we land here, we become part of events. We're stuck in the timeline." He's silent for a moment. "But the TARDIS could take us away."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"We could leave; let history take its course."

"You would never do that," I say knowingly. He looks me in the eye.

"But you could ask."

"I never would." He smiles at me, and I feel warm inside. Then the computer beeps.

"The Delta Wave's started building!" he exclaims. Iggy hops up to check the numbers on the computer. "How long does it need?"

Iggy just looks at us silently.

"Is it that bad?" I ask. He nods. "How bad?"

"Rose Tyler, you're a genius!" the Doctor exclaims suddenly.

"I am?"

"If I can use the TARDIS to cross my old timeline…" he trails off. I have no idea what he's talking about, but he's excited, so this must be a good plan. He races into the TARDIS, and I follow him.

He points to a lever on the console.

"Hold that down," he says.

"What does it do?"

"Cancels the buffers. If I'm very clever, I just might save the world. Now I just have to power up the Gamestation. Hold on!"

The doors shut behind him, and I wait for something. I hear the groaning of the TARDIS engines.

"Can I let go of the lever now?" I shout. There's no response. I let go of the lever, and nothing happens. The engines continue on. I sprint to the door, tugging on them, but they won't open. What the hell is he doing?

"Doctor!" I yell. "Let me out!" I pound on the door. Then I hear his voice behind me.

"This is Emergency Program One. Rose, now, listen. This is important. If this message is activated, then it can only mean one thing. We must be in danger. And I mean fatal. I'm dead or about to die any second with no chance of escape," says the hologram of the Doctor.

"No!" I cry, emotions rising. I don't know whether to burst into tears or punch a hole in the wall.

"And that's okay. Hope it's a good death. But I promised to look after you, and that's what I'm doing. The TARDIS is taking you home."

"I won't let you!" I say angrily, rushing up the steps. There's got to be something I can do.

"And I bet you're fussing and moaning now – typical." Wow, had to get in that one last insult, didn't he? "But hold on and just listen a bit more. The TARDIS can never return for me. Emergency Program One means I'm facing an enemy that should never get their hands on this machine. So this is what you should do: let the TARDIS die."

"No," I breathe. He can't _seriously_ be telling me to…

"Just let this old box gather dust No one can open it, no one will even notice it. Let it become a strange little thing standing on a street corner. And over the years, the world will move on and the box will be buried. And if you want to remember me, then you can do one thing. That's all. One thing."

I stare. It's just a hologram, but his eyes look right into me and it's like he's actually there.

"Have a good life. Do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life."

"You can't do this to me," I say. "You can't." The hologram flickers, fading away. "NO!"

I race up to the console, slamming at random buttons. There's got to be a way to reverse this, there _has_ to.

**~DW~ IGGY'S POV**

"Rose," I hear Jack say over an intercom. "Can you read out the numbers on the screen to me?"

"She's not here," the Doctor says.

"Of all the times to take a leak," Jack says. "Tell her to read me the code when she gets back."

"She's not coming back," I cut in.

"You took her home, didn't you?"

"Yeah," the Doctor tells him.

"Is there any chance this Delta Wave will be ready in time?" Jack asks.

"Yes," says a voice behind us. We turn to the screen we used to communicate with the Daleks. The Emperor takes up the screen.

"But there is no way to refine it. The Delta Wave will kill every living thing in its path. All things will die, by your hand."

I look at the Doctor. He's expressionless.

"The range of this transmitter covers the entire Earth," I say.

"There are colonies. The human race would survive in some form. But the whole universe is in danger if we don't stop them here and now. I have to make this choice for everyone – die as a human or live as a Dalek. What would you do?"

Jack's response is simple. "You sent her home. She's safe. Keep working." I nod.

"Now tell me," the Doctor says. "Bad Wolf. How did you manage that? How did you spread it across the entire universe?"

"I did nothing," replies the Emperor.

"Come on, tell the truth!"

"They are not of my design."

The Doctor looks extremely confused, staring at the sign up on the wall that reads _Bad Wolf Corporation._

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

I'm at a freaking _chip shop_.

I should be on a satellite game station two hundred thousand years in the future.

How messed up is my life?

Mickey and Mum sit across from me, eating. My food sits in front of me, untouched.

"Rose, sweetheart," Mum says, giving up on her conversation with Mickey. "Eat something."

"Not hungry."

"Rose…"

"Two hundred thousand years in the future my best friends are _dying_ and there's nothing I can do. I'm not going to eat something."

"Two hundred thousand years is way off!"

"It isn't though," I say, my voice rising. "It's right now! They're out there fighting, risking their lives and I'm not gonna sit here eating _chips!_"

"Listen," she says softly. "Maybe this is best. I've hated that man from the moment he took you away but right now I couldn't love him more. He kept his promise to keep you safe. He did the right thing and sent you back home."

"That's the thing," I say quietly. "I'm beginning to think I'm not meant to have a home. My whole life it was one place after another. Running on adrenaline, the danger, the adventure – every single day. I used to think all I wanted was a normal life. I was so wrong. Travelling with the Doctor – it's so much more than just the planets and aliens and time travel. It's a better way of life. It's standing up to authority and doing what's right when no one else is brave enough to."

"Rose, of course you're meant to have a home. Everyone has a home. One day you're going to realize that you don't want the danger and adrenaline anymore. You've come such a long way, just think! We're you're family, we know all your secrets, we love you. That's all you really need in the end."

"No," I sigh.

"What?"

"You don't know all my secrets."

"What do you mean?"

"My name wasn't always Rose. I lied to you, that first day. I wanted to be someone different, and changing my name was the easiest was to start."

Mum and Mickey look startled for a moment, before Mickey speaks up.

"If your name wasn't Rose, that what was it?"

"Maximum Ride."

**~DW~**

I make my way back to the estate, plopping myself on a bench across from a graffitied wall. I can hear Mickey approaching behind me.

"You can't spend the rest of your life thinking about him."

"Why not? I think about the Flock every day. You never really forget people you love, Mickey."

"You…you love him?" he asks, hesitantly.

I don't answer. Something has caught my attention. The graffiti – it's nothing special to anyone passing by.

_Bad Wolf._

Written on the ground, across the wall…suddenly it's everywhere.

"I thought it was a warning…but maybe it isn't. It's a way back! Bad Wolf here, Bad Wolf there! I can get back! Please, Mickey," I beg, "help me!"

"What can I do?"

I think for a moment, settling on a plan.

"Meet me at the TARDIS. Bring the strongest chains they have at the mechanics and a car."

**~DW~**

"I don't understand," Mickey says, attaching one end of the heavy chain to the TARDIS console. "Why am I doing this?"

"If I open the heart of the TARDIS, I can communicate with her more easily. I can convince her to take me back."

"What if it doesn't work?"

"I won't let that happen."

"Rose…" Mickey says quietly, trailing off.

"Yeah?"

"If you go back, you're gonna die."

"Mickey," I say, looking him in the eye. "If I had a nickel for every time someone told me I was gonna die, I'd be a freaking zillionaire. This won't be any different."

"Alright then," he says. "If you're sure…let's crack this thing open!" He hurriedly connects the other end of the chain to his car, then hops inside.

"Step on it, Mickey!" I shout. The tires spin and smoke billows from the engine. The console won't budge. The chain snaps.

"Come on!" I yell, frustrated.

Mickey and I sit on the captain's chair half an hour later, staring at the console, trying to think of what else we can do. Mum stand off to the side.

"Rose, it was never going to work. The Doctor knew that. He wanted you to be safe."

"Dad wouldn't give up."

"He would say the same!"

"No. He would tell me to do anything – everything I could to save them. I would know, I met him! The day he died, Mum. The Doctor took me back in time. There was someone with him. A blonde girl that held his hand. It was _me._ That's how good he is!"

"Stop it!" she shouts angrily, running out.

**~DW~ IGGY's POV**

It didn't take long for things to get bad. The Daleks invaded on Floor 494, just like we thought. Some came up. The few people we had gathered to fight them fired. They all die. Other Daleks went down to Floor Zero where everyone had evacuated to, and we listened to the cries of "EX-TER-MI-NATE!" until every last person was dead.

The Doctor and I keep at it, connecting wires quickly. I listen to Lynda's reports as the Daleks invade Floor 499. Then I have a choice to make.

I can hear Daleks. I can hear guns going off. I glance at the Doctor, who's working at the wires furiously. Without a moment's hesitation, I grab the extra gun on the desk that Jack left for Rose.

The Doctor does nothing, just watches when I step in the lift and the doors close. They open on Floor 499, and I join in the gunfire as the Daleks approach. Too soon, Jack and I are the last two standing. We glance at each other before bolting down the corridor backwards, still shooting.

"Doctor, you've got twenty seconds maximum!" Jack cries into his wrist communicator.

My gun runs out of bullets, and I toss it to the ground. Jack fires his last two rounds before throwing his weapon to the side. We're backed against the wall.

He grabs my hand tightly, giving me one last pained, apologetic look.

"EX-TER-MI-NATE!"

"Yeah," he says casually. "I kind of figured that." Then there's a flash of pain, and everything goes black.

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

Then she comes back with a truck that's so big you could probably doze over an entire country with it.

"You've got til six," she says, tossing the keys to Mickey. He climbs in quickly.

"Where the hell did you get this thing?" I ask.

"Rodrigo. He owes me a favor. You were right about your Dad, love. He was full of mad ideas – he would be doing the exact same thing." I smile, running into the TARDIS.

I connect a new chain to the console and the truck and Mickey starts it.

"Tell him to put his foot down!" I yell to Mum over the noise. She shouts to Mickey.

Finally, there's a loud crack and the panel flies open. I hear the doors slam shut, and everything goes golden.

**~DW~ THE DOCTOR'S POV**

I grin when the light flashes that signals that the Delta Wave is ready. Daleks flood into the room.

"Now, you want to think about this," I say, giving them one last chance. "If I activate this signal, every living this dies."

"I am immortal," says the Emperor.

"Wanna test that?"

"I want to see you be like me. The Doctor, the Great Exterminator." I frown.

"I'll do it!" I threaten angrily, placing my hands on the lever.

"Prove yourself. What are you, Time Lord? Coward, or killer?"

I tense up. Can I do it?

"Coward. Any day," I say, letting go.

"You will be exterminated."

"Maybe it's time," I say. Maybe I've lived too long.

I'm not supposed to hear the TARDIS engines. I spin around in shock. The TARDIS materializes and the doors fly open. I flinch back at the bright golden light that floods out. Rose stands in the doorway. She steps forward, and I stumble back, falling.

"Rose, what have you done?" I ask, terrified. She gazes down at me, and I can see the Time Vortex swirling in her eyes. Her voice echoes when she speaks.

"I looked into the TARDIS. And the TARDIS looked into me."

"You looked into the Time Vortex! No one is meant to do that!"

"This is abomination!" cries the Dalek Emperor. A Dalek shoots at her, but she just holds up her hand and it dissolves.

"I am the Bad Wolf," Rose says. It can't be! "I create myself." She waves her hand, and the letters from the Bad Wolf Corporation sign disappear. "I take the words, I scatter them in time and space. A message to lead myself here."

"You have to stop, Rose! It'll kill you, your mind will burn!" I cry desperately.

Suddenly she's looking down at me, the gold in her eyes gone for a moment. "I want you safe. My Doctor. Protected from the false God."

My eyes widen, and my jaw drops. Tears stream down her cheeks. She turns to the Daleks, the golden fire in her eyes returning.

"You are tiny. I can see the whole of time and space – every single atom of your existence, and I divide them. Everything must come to dust…everything dies." She raises her hand again. The Daleks vanish into golden dust.

"Rose, you've done it, now let it go," I say softly.

"How can I let go of this? I bring life…"

I feel a sudden nagging in the back of my mind that something is wrong. Jack and Iggy.

"Rose! You can't control life and death!"

"I can. But why does it hurt? My head…it's killing me…"

"I think you need a Doctor," I say quietly, taking her face in my hands. I press my lips to hers, taking the Vortex from her mind. Then I release it back to the TARDIS. I catch Rose's unconscious body before she falls, and walk her back to the TARDIS.

**~DW~ IGGY'S POV**

I gasp and sit up. Jack and I stare at each other, then we both speak at the same time.

"What the hell?"

We both stand up slowly. I kneel down to the dust on the floor.

"What happened to the Daleks?"

Then we hear the sound of the TARDIS engines. With one look, we're running as fast as we can.

"He's gone," Jack says when we enter the room. I turn to him.

"What do we do now?"

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

When I open my eyes I have the worst headache in the freaking universe. Seriously, it's like there's a herd of elephants running rampant through my mind.

I sit up and turn to the Doctor, who's standing at the console. I'm painfully aware of the grilling of the TARDIS digging into my back.

"What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"I…" I search my recent memories. "There was singing…"

"That's right!" he says with false cheer. "I sang a song and the Daleks ran away."

"They probably did, you're awful…but wait…I was at home! No…I was in the TARDIS…I can't remember anything else!"

"Rose Tyler," he says, shaking his head. "I was gonna take you so many places. Barcelona – the planet, not the city. Fantastic place, they have dogs with no noses!"

"Why can't we go?" I ask slowly, suddenly worried.

"Maybe you will. And maybe I will. But not like this."

"You aren't making sense!"

"I might never make sense again! I might have two heads. I might have no head! And don't say that's an improvement," he tells me. "But it's a bit dodgy, this process. Never know what you're gonna end up with…"

He doubles over, and I step forward to help him.

"Stay away!" he cries through clenched teeth. I stare, wide eyed. He winces.

"What's happening?"

"I absorbed all the energy of the Time Vortex. No one's meant to do that. Every cell in my body is dying."

"No! We can do something! Tell me what to do!"

"I'm doing it now! Time Lords have this trick, sort of a way to cheat death. The thing is…it means I'm gonna change."

"I don't understand."

"I'm not gonna see you again. Not like this. Not with this daft old face. And before I go…"

"Don't say that."

"Before I go, I just wanted to tell you, you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And d'you know what? So was I."

The Doctor explodes into a burst of golden light.

**A/N: Okay, how many of you hate me?**

**I know some of you wanted Iggy to stay, but in order for things to work out the way they are planned, he needs to be with Jack!**

**Speaking of which…Jack/Iggy! Yay or nay?**

**P.S – Thanks to WingedHero540 – you're right. The rating has now been changed to T!**


	20. Old and New Faces

**A/N: :D I got such a great response last chapter! Thank you!**

**~DW~**

When the light fades, the Doctor is gone and there's another man in his place. He's dressed in the same clothes as the Doctor – but he's a lot skinnier, so they hang off of him. He smiles at me. I stare.

"Hello! Okay…ooh, new teeth. That's weird. So, where was I? Oh, that's right, Barcelona!" He turns to the TARDIS controls. "Six p.m….Tuesday, October…5006…on the way!" He turns back to me. I keep staring.

"Now, what do I look like?" he asks. Who the hell doesn't know what they look like? "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, don't tell me! Legs, arms, two hands…"

"Who the hell are you?" I interrupt. "Where's the Doctor? What have you done with him?"

He looks confused. "I'm the Doctor!"

I stomp up to him, grab him by the jacket, and slam him to the ground, digging my knee into his back for good measure.

"Don't lie to me!" I say angrily. "What did you do to him?"

"Rose!" he cries, his voice muffled. "You saw! You saw me change!"

"I don't know what the hell I just saw! It was like, a transmat, or a body swap or something!" I cry. "Don't try to fool me. You have no idea of the things I've seen, none at all! Or do you? Do you work for them? For the School? Are you a whitecoat?"

"I'm not a whitecoat," he says calmly.

"Send him back!" I demand. "Send the Doctor back right now!"

"Rose, I swear, it's me! I was dying, but I saved myself! I changed my body, every single cell, but I promise you, it's me!"

"I don't take promises lightly," I growl.

"I know," he says. "Because I'm the Doctor."

"Prove it."

"The first word I ever said to you," he starts. My heart skips a beat. _No one_ but the Doctor could possibly know that.

"Trapped in the cellar, surrounded by shop window dummies, such a long time ago. I took your hand and I told you to run."

My grip loosens and I stand up, pressing my hand to my head. The Doctor gets up slowly.

"Congratulations, Rose, you're the first person to put a bruise on this body," he moans. I stare at him.

"Can you change back?" I ask weakly.

"Oh. Do you want me to?"

"Yeah. So can you?"

"No." There's a pause. I'm never getting my blue-eyed, Northern Doctor back. "Do you want to leave?"

Tears start building up. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No!" he says quickly. "Not at all! But it's your choice, if you want to…"

"Changing settings to Powell Estate…let's say, 24th of December. Consider it a Christmas present," he says, flicking a few switches on the console.

"I'm going home?"

"Up to you," he says. "Back to your mum." We stare at each other uncomfortably until he spazzes.

"Ow!"

"Are you alright?" I ask immediately. A golden puff escapes his mouth.

"Change has gone wrong," he says quickly, doubled over.

"Let's go back! We can find Jack and Iggy; they'll know what to do!" I suggest quickly.

"Nah, they've got plenty to do rebuilding the Earth! Let's take it a bit faster, shall we?" He races around the console, pressing buttons, and I cling on for dear life. He stops beside me for a moment with a manic laugh.

_Oh, bloody hell. The Doctor's gone insane._

**~DW~**

One pair of pajamas and an unconscious Doctor later, I'm sitting on the edge of Mum's bed staring at his sleeping form. Mum sits beside me, and I listen to his heartbeats with a stethoscope she stole from one of the neighbors.

"I still say we should take him to the hospital," Mum says.

"No. They'd freak. He isn't human, Mum, they'd dissect him, and I won't have him ending up like me."

I press the stethoscope to both sides of his chest. "Both working," I mutter to myself.

"Did you say 'both'?" Mum cries.

"Leave him alone," I say, tugging on her sleeve. We head into the living room. I plop down on the couch.

"How is that him? How does he change like that?"

"I don't know. I really don't. I keep forgetting he's not human. But I really just want to know where the hell you got a pair of men's pajamas from."

She walks into the kitchen, getting some food from the fridge. "Howard's been staying over."

"Am I supposed to know who Howard is?"

"From the market?"

"Oh! How long has this been going on?" I ask suspiciously.

"God, you sound like an overprotective mother! About a month or so…" she rambles. That's about all the girl talk I can take. I tune her out, looking toward the television.

"Hold up, is that Harriet Jones? Why's she on the telly?"

"She's Prime Minister now, I'm eighteen quid a week better off!"

"Good for her. Really, that's great," I smile. I wonder silently what she's been able to do about the School.

**~DW~**

"Damn. I'm screwed. Where am I supposed to get Christmas presents on such short notice?"

"That's what you get," Mickey laughs. "Let's start with your Mum."

We head off in the direction of her favorite store. Suddenly I get a nagging feeling that something's wrong. I snatch Mickey's sleeve to hold him back, turning around. The only thing I see is a group of people surrounding a brass band of masked Santas.

"Mickey…" I say, just as their instruments turn into flamethrowers.

"Ah, yeah," he agrees, and we dive behind a Christmas stall.

"Those things are after us," I mutter."

"What for?"

"Well, it's either one of two things. The School's after me, or there's something after the Doctor."

"Taxi?"

"Taxi."

We catch the nearest one, and I dial Mum quickly. The line is already in use.

I sigh, frustrated. "She needs to pick better timing for her three hour phone calls."

Mickey and I bolt the second we've paid the taxi driver. We burst into the flat and I grab the phone from Mum.

"This is gonna have to wait!" I inform whoever's on the other end. Mickey slams the door, locking it.

"We need to get out, go somewhere else," Mickey says.

"We aren't going anywhere! It's Christmas Eve!" Mum cries.

"Mum," I start, and then trail off when I notice a new Christmas tree in the corner. "Where'd the tree come from?"

"I thought it was you!"

"Oh, damn…" I sigh, knowing something's wrong before actually knowing what it was. The branches of the tree started spinning, faster and faster. It's reduced the glass coffee table into a pile of glitter within seconds.

"Out!" I yell simply. Mum races to the door, and Mickey tries to hold off the tree with a chair. I bolt into the Doctor's room.

"Rose!"

"I'm not leaving him behind!" I shout. She races into the room, and Mickey follows. They slam the door behind them, sliding the wardrobe in front of the door.

"Wake up, you stupid Time Lord!" I shout, shoving the sonic screwdriver into his hand. "Do something!"

"Rose!" Mum and Mickey shout. The tree smashes through the door, and they back up to the other end of the room.

I slap the unconscious Doctor across the face. "Help me, you idiot!" He suddenly sits up, pointing the sonic at the tree which proceeds to explode.

"Remote control! But who's controlling it?" he asks aloud, getting out of bed. Mum and Mickey stare, and I glance at them before following the Doctor out of the room.

He walks out of the apartment to the balcony. Three of the evil Santas stand in the lot below. Then they disappear.

"They're just Pilot Fish," the Doctor says, and then he starts coughing, thrown back against the wall. I hurriedly kneel next to him.

"What's wrong?"

"You woke me up too soon," he says, panting. "I'm still regenerating, bursting with energy. The Pilot Fish could smell it, even a million miles away. They could use me to run their batteries for years…" He cuts off, groaning.

"What do you need?" Mum asks frantically. "Asprin? Painkillers? Codeine? Paracetemol? I dunno – Pepto-Bismol? Vitamin C? Vitamin D? Vitamin E?"

"I need you to shut up," he says through clenched teeth. "We haven't got much time…" he pauses, reaching into the pocket of the robe he's wearing.

"Why is there an apple in my dressing gown?"

"That's Howard, sorry."

"Mum, hate to break it to you, but that's _weird_."

The Doctor shouts with pain, and Mum jumps back a bit. He grabs my arms tightly.

"Pilot Fish…mean…something's coming," he chokes out, before collapsing unconscious into my lap.

**~DW~**

I don't know what to do. I've never been this lost before. I wipe the Doctor's forehead, placing the cloth on the bedside dresser before heading into the living room with Mum and Mickey.

"Any better?" Mum asks, handing me a cup of tea.

"Worse," I answer distractedly. "Just one heart beating." I try to watch the television to give my mind a break. There's a woman answering questions at a press conference. I'm about to change the channel when I hear what she's talking about.

"Wes, we're back on schedule. We've received a signal from our satellite. The Mars landing is a bit of an unqualified success," she says. Another reporter in the back speaks up.

"Is it true you lost contact earlier tonight?"

"Yes, but only for a few seconds," the woman reassures. "In a few seconds we should be receiving our first pictures, so I'd better get back to it."

Wow. Props to the space people.

"I looked up Pilot Fish," Mickey says, interrupting my train of thought. "They're scavengers. Harmless and small – but the little fish swim alongside the big fish."

"So the question is…what's the big fish, and when's it coming?"

"Pilot Fish don't swim far from their Daddy," Mickey says.

"Funny sort of rocks," comments Mum offhandedly, pointing at the TV.

"Those aren't rocks…" I say, just as the picture comes into clarity. An alien roars on the screen. Mum and Mickey jump back, but I just take one step closer, examining it closely.

"Daddy fish has been located," I mumble to myself.

**~DW~**

"Rose," Mickey calls from his laptop. "I've hacked into the military, come look!"

"Really? Great!" I exclaim. Mickey and Nudge would get along. "What's going on?"

"They're tracking a spaceship, it's bloody huge. It's headed right toward Earth." He points at the picture on the screen. Suddenly, a picture of four of the aliens comes up on the screen. Alien blurbs come through the speakers.

"The TARDIS usually translates alien languages," I say, confused. "Why isn't she?"

"Well, the Doctor might be doing something too," Mickey points out.

"A broken circuit," I say softly. A broken circuit that needs to get fixed. I step away from the laptop to go check on the Doctor again. He's still sleeping, and now Mum has fallen asleep next to him. I almost want to laugh at how much he would freak.

"The Doctor wouldn't do this," I say aloud, trying to reassure myself – but in the back of my mind I'm thinking of the time I said the same exact thing about Fang. "Every time, every single time I trust someone. When I finally admit to myself that I love them, they're gone."

"You really love him, don't you?" Mickey asks softly from right behind me. He places a comforting hand on my shoulder. We stand in comfortable silence. Then my ears pick up screaming.

"What the hell is that?" Mickey asks, jogging out the door. I follow quickly behind.

"Jason! Jason!" cries a woman – Sandra – as she tugs on her husband's bathrobe.

"Sandra, what's going on?"

"He's just walking, he won't stop walking! There was this light…" she tries to explain. Even as she's talking, Jason keeps on up the steps. I look over the rail of the balcony. Dozens of other people are hypnotized by the same force that's controlling Jason. I turn to Sandra.

"I'm going to figure this out, alright? It's going to be fine. Go back to your flat and have a cup of tea, I'll get this all sorted out," I tell her. She shakes her head, going after Jason.

I race up the steps past all the people marching upwards. Why the roof? What's going on up there? I watch as hypnotized people line up one by one on the edge of the roof – like they're about to jump. But they're waiting for the command.

"What do we do, Rose?" Mickey asks. I look down at the hard pavement, stories below us.

"I don't know, Mickey. I really, really don't know…" I say honestly, trailing off. "But then again, when did I ever actually have a plan? The only thing you ever really need is a starting point. You've gotta start somewhere." I look at him, determined. "So let's pick a somewhere."

We race back down the stairs to the flat, where Mum is watching the television screen anxiously.

"Rose! They said it's one third of the entire world!" she cries. I look at Harriet Jones giving her speech.

"I would ask you all to remain calm, but I have one request: Doctor, if you're out there, we need you. If you can hear me, if anyone knows him, the situation has never been more desperate. Help us, Doctor. Please."

I walk to the Doctor's room for the millionth time. No change. I lean my back against the door frame and slide down to the floor, putting my head in my hands. I feel alone for the first time since Fang left. Then, I was clinging to the Flock – to my family – for dear life. Now, it almost feels like I have nothing to cling to.

Then I feel Mum's hand on my shoulder. No, I'm not alone. Not completely. I never will be.

**~DW~**

There was some more sitting around after that, so I won't bore anyone with that. Things didn't get interesting again until the ground started trembling and the windows shattered.

I jump up immediately, racing outside. There's shattered glass everywhere. A few people gather in the lot below, including Mum and Mickey. I take a look at the scene from higher up – the way I'm used to looking at it. They all stare upwards and I follow their gaze to the huge spaceship in the sky. Once the shock has worn off, everyone races back into their homes to hide from the threats outside.

I race back into the flat to the Doctor's room. I sling his unconscious body over my shoulder and make my way back outside. Mum and Mickey are making their way back up the stairs. Their eyes widen when they see me.

"Rose? What are you doing?"

"We're going to the TARDIS. It's the only safe place on Earth right now. Quick, grab a few things – a _few_. Pretend that there's a fire and you only have the time to get what you need the most. Hurry!"

I put down the Doctor at the TARDIS so I can unlock the doors. I drag him inside and wait for Mum and Mickey.

"Mum, I said a _few_ things," I sigh.

"Is there any chance you could fly this thing?" Mickey asks.

"No, not without the Doctor," I tell him.

"Here, everyone have a cup of tea," Mum offers once she's put down her Giant Backpack of Everything.

"Tea doesn't fix everything," I mutter.

"Yes it does!" she argues. "Tea always makes someone feel better!"

"I managed fine without tea for the first fifteen years of my life," I say.

"How did you manage to live fifteen years in England without drinking tea?" Mickey asks.

"Hate to break it to you, but I lived in America. Only picked up an accent from living on the streets here a few months."

"Seriously? You're from America? How did I not know this?"

"Well, while you two are talking I'll go get the rest of the food," Mum says. She heads back to the flat.

"If only she knew what it's really like to live on the run," I roll my eyes.

"Maybe we should turn on this screen," Mickey suggests, pointing to the console. "Find out what's happening."

"Yeah," I agree. I start searching for a button.

"Is that it?"

"No."

"This one?"

"This is a totally lost cause. Give it up, Mickey," I say, after it had gone on about ten minutes. "I'm gonna go get Mum, she's taking forever."

I step out the door, and something grabs me. When I turn around, it's an alien.

"Dude, you are ugly. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Rose? Who are you talking to?" Mickey asks, stepping out of the TARDIS.

"Close the door!" I cry. He slams it shut behind him just before an alien grabs him too. They shove us forward. Behind us, more figures enter the room.

"Rose!"

"Harriet!" She throws her arms around me, and I return the favor.

"I've got you, oh you poor thing. Is the Doctor with you?"

"It's complicated," I mutter, releasing her. "We're on our own at the moment."

"The School didn't get you, did they?" she asks, suddenly worried.

"No! Not even close to that. The circumstances just aren't the best…I don't even completely understand what's going on." She sighs with relief.

One of the aliens points at me and starts yelling. The man with Harriet – his name tag says Alex – reads from a translating machine.

"The yellow girl. She has the clever blue box. Therefore, she speaks for your planet."

"Do you think I can plead the case of not human?" I mutter to Mickey.

"No. You've got 98%, that's close enough for them."

"Alright then!" I say, giving a nervous smile. "Hello, alien dudes!"

"Sycorax," Alex corrects. I nod.

Harriet looks horrified. "They'll kill you!"

"Someone's gotta be the Doctor, and that never stopped him," I tell her. I turn to the Sycorax. "Okay, I'm fairly sure his speech goes something like this: I address the Sycorax according to article…uh…let's go with three hundred ninety four…article three hundred ninety four of the Shadow Proclamation. I command you to leave this planet with the authority of…the Slitheen Parliament of Raxicoricofallapatorius, and…uh…the Mighty Jagrafess…and the Daleks! Leave this planet in peace!"

It's silent when I finish talking. The Sycorax strides toward me. They all start to laugh. The leader speaks.

"You are funny," Adam translates. "Now you are going to die."

"That's nice," I say weakly.

"Did you think you were clever?" Adam continues. "Next to us you are a wailing child. If you are the best your planet can offer as champion…"

Suddenly the words are coming from somewhere else. Right in front of me.

"Your world will be gutted and people enslaved," say the Sycorax leader.

"That was English!" Harriet exclaims.

"I would never dirty my tongue with your primitive bile!"

"You just did. Believe it or not, that's one of the more proper sounding sentences I've heard…'primitive' is an impressive word," I tell him.

"Isn't it?" says a voice behind me. I turn around, beaming. The Doctor stands confidently, looking dangerous as ever in striped pajamas and a dressing gown. He smiles. "Good cup of tea, that's all I needed!"

An angry Sycorax tries to lash him with a whip, but he just grabs the end of it and tosses it behind him.

"You'll have someone's eye out with that!" he exclaims, his tone like he's telling a child to behave.

The Sycorax leader comes at him with a staff. The Doctor snatches it from him and breaks it in half across his knee. He tosses the pieces to me.

"Get rid of those, will you, Rose?"

I smile mischievously, holding one half in each hand, arms out in front of me. I stare at the Sycorax and concentrate. My hands burst into flames and the catch fire. Within moments, they are no more than piles of ash on the ground.

The Doctor raises an approving eyebrow, walking over to me.

"Impressive. Now, first things first…how do I look?" he asks.

"Different," I tell him.

"Good different or bad different?"

I smirk, remembering when I asked Iggy the same thing. "Just…different."

"Am I ginger?" he asks seriously. I stare at him.

"No, you're just sort of brown," I say.

"Aw, I wanted to be ginger!" he complains loudly. He points at me. "You, Rose Tyler, you gave up on me! Oh, that was rude…is that who I am? Rude and not ginger?"

"Who is this?" Harriet asks from next to me.

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor says at the same time I say, "He's the Doctor."

"What happened to my Doctor? Is it just a title that's passed on?"

"No, that's literally him," I tell her. "I swear."

"Same man, different face," the Doctor adds.

"Prove it."

"When we were trapped in Downing Street, you weren't scared of the aliens. You were scared that your mother was on her own."

"Oh my god," Harriet breathes, her eyes widening. I grin.

"Did you win the election?" the Doctor asks conversationally.

"Landslide majority," Harriet smiles, looking pleased with herself.

"If I might interrupt!" cries the Sycorax leader. We spin around to face him. Right, we're saving the world.

"Who exactly are you?" he asks.

"That's the question," the Doctor grins.

"Tell me who you are!" the Sycorax demands.

"I DON'T KNOW!" the Doctor answers, mimicking the Sycorax's rough voice. I give him a strange look, but he just smiles at me. "I'm the Doctor, but beyond that I have no idea who I am. Am I funny? Sarcastic? Sexy?" He winks at me and I flush red. He's a right _flirt_, that's what he is.

"Right-handed? Left-handed? A gambler? A fighter? A coward? A traitor? A nervous wreck?"

"I can tell you right now you've got a big mouth," I inform him.

"Really? And oh, would you look at this! A big red button!" he exclaims, running up a set of stairs to a higher platform. "A Great Big Threatening Button Which Must Not Be Pressed Under Any Circumstances!"

"Oh, I love those!" I say brightly, following him up the stairs.

"It's a control matrix, isn't it?" he asks, turning to the Sycorax. "What's feeding it?" He bends down and opens a small door to the controls.

"Oh, tell me that's not blood," I groan. He dips his finger in it and _licks it off_. "Ew! God, that's gross!"

"Yep," he says, popping the 'p'. "That's blood. Human, A Positive, with a dash of iron. Blood control! You're controlling all the A Positives! But that leaves us a problem. 'Cause when I see a Great Big Threatening Button Which Should Never Ever Be Pressed…I just wanna do this."

He brings his fist down on it.

"No! You've killed them!" Harriet and Alex shout.

"No, I haven't. Blood control is a cheap bit of voodoo. You can't hypnotize someone to death, survival instinct is too strong."

"I can bring in the armada. We can take over the planet by conquest," the Sycorax growls.

"Why?" the Doctor asks. "Look at these people! From the day they arrive on the planet, and blinking, step into the sun…there is more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than – no, hold on, that's The Lion King. But still! Leave them alone!"

He walks confidently down the steps, grabbing my hand and dragging me along.

"What if I don't?" the Sycorax asks.

"I wouldn't recommend that," I say.

"If you don't?" the Doctor asks. He snatches a sword from one of the nearby Sycorax. "I challenge you."

"You are an idiot," I tell him. "What the hell are you doing?"

The Sycorax start laughing.

"You stand as the world's champion," the leader says, drawing his own sword.

"Oh, damn. This isn't going to end well. Seriously, somebody is going to lose a limb or something," I mumble just loud enough for them to hear.

"I might have no idea who I am, but you've just summed me up in a sentence," the Doctor tells the Sycorax leader.

"For the planet?"

"For the planet. Rose, get out of the way." I give the Doctor an uneasy look. "Please." I sigh and go stand by Mickey.

Swords clash. My eyes are glued to their every move. The Doctor is thrown aside, but stands back up and straightens himself out again.

"Watch out!" I call. So far, I'm not exactly convinced that this fight is going to be in our favor.

"That helped. Wouldn't have thought of that otherwise, thanks!" he shouts sarcastically.

The fight brings them to a door, and the Doctor hurriedly pushes a button to open it. Light streams in from outside, and I scramble after them.

"Ow!" the Doctor cries. I'm done standing on the sidelines, this guy is asking for it. I rush forward.

"No!" cries the Doctor. "Stay back! Invalidate the challenge and he wins!"

"Oh, damn you!"

The Doctor is knocked to the ground at the very edge of the ship, nearly going over. The Sycorax leader cuts off his hand, sword and all, and it falls to the Earth below.

"You cut off my hand!" the Doctor exclaims. "And now I know what kind of man I am. I'm lucky. I just happen to be within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle, so I can do this." He holds up his handless arm.

Just like Dylan would be able to, he grows his arm back. I grin. I grab another sword from a nearby Sycorax and toss it to him.

"Doctor, catch!"

Not seconds later, the Sycorax is on the ground.

"I win," the Doctor announces.

"Then kill me," says the Sycorax leader.

"I'll spare your life if you leave this planet and never return."

"Yes."

"Swear it on the blood of your species," he says angrily.

"I swear," the Sycorax chokes out.

"There we are then!" he says brightly. "Cheers, big fella!"

"Bravo!" Harriet cries, clapping.

"Not bad for a man in his jim jams, eh?" the Doctor asks. He puts his hands in his pockets, pausing for a moment. He pulls out an orange.

"That friend of your mother's does like his snacks, doesn't he?"

Behind him, the Sycorax leader gets to his feet. He picks up his sword and charges. Without a moment's hesitation, the Doctor throws the orange in his hand to hit a switch on the side of the ship. The ground beneath the Sycorax crumbles and he falls to the Earth.

"No second chances. I'm that sort of man."

**~DW~**

"We did it! We actually did it!" Mickey cries, stepping out of the TARDIS onto solid ground again. We all look to the sky, and the ship heads on its way. I smile.

"Rose!" I turn around at the sound of my name. Mum is running toward us. She holds her arms out. I hug her.

"You're alright?" I ask, concerned.

"Am I alright? Are _you_ alright?"

"I'm always alright!"

"I have to thank you, Jackie," the Doctor says. "That was all I needed – a cup of tea."

She turns to me smugly. "I told you! What did I say?" Then she pauses, noticing Harriet. "Oh my god, it's the bleeding Prime Minister!" I roll my eyes and laugh.

The Doctor taps me on the shoulder. I turn around and he holds out his arms. I smile, hugging him. Mum and Mickey join in.

"All the times I've saved the world, I don't think I've ever been in a group hug afterward," I say, but it's muffled because my face is pressed against the Doctor's chest.

"Sorry, am I squashing you?" Mum asks, stepping back. I release Mickey and the Doctor.

There's a loud whir and a booming sound nearby. We look up to the sky to see a green laser shoot into the sky, crossing paths with four others. It hits the spaceship, destroying it.

"What the hell was that?" Mickey asks. I glance at the Doctor cautiously. He approaches Harriet angrily.

"That was murder!"

"What? Harriet? Why would you do that?" I ask. "You're better than that, I know you are!"

"I couldn't take the risk. They'll tell others about Earth, and you aren't always here to save us. We have to defend ourselves. I represent the human race. I did it on their behalf."

"I should've stopped you."

"Does that make you an alien threat as well?"

"Harriet," I say shortly. "Don't even go there. What you just did was wrong and you know it. Don't even try to defend yourself!"

"I can bring down your government with a single word," the Doctor growls.

"You two are the most remarkable man I ever met, but you are not capable of that," Harriet says calmly.

"No, you're right. Six words. Six." The Doctor walks around her and mutters something to Alex.

He nods his head, and I follow him down the street. Mum and Mickey aren't far behind. Harriet shouts after us.

"What did you say?" I ask him quietly.

"'Don't you think she looks tired?'"

**~DW~**

A pinstriped suit, converse, and a Christmas dinner later, I'm sitting on the couch in the living room next to the Doctor.

"Bev says to look outside!" Mum calls from the kitchen on the phone. I hop up and walk out the door. Snow is falling. I smile, racing down the stairs.

"It's the spaceship breaking up in the atmosphere," the Doctor says behind me. "This is ash, not snow."

"Either way, it's beautiful."

"This is a brand new planet Earth. There's no denying the existence of aliens now, everyone's seen it."

I swallow. It's time to ask the question that's been hovering in the back of my mind.

"What about you? What are you gonna do next?"

"Well, back to the TARDIS. Same old life, I suppose," he answers casually.

"On your own?" I ask tentatively. He looks alarmed.

"Why, don't you want to come?"

"Of course!"

"Do you, though?" he asks, still worried.

"Yeah! I'm not leaving, not if I don't have to," I reassure him.

"I just thought…'cause I changed…" he says.

"I thought you might not want me anymore," I admit.

"No, never! I'd love you to come!"

We laugh, beaming.

"All those planets, creatures and horizons…I haven't seen them yet, not with these eyes. It's gonna be fantastic," he smiles, holding out his hand.

_Fantastic._

He wiggles his fingers, and I lace my own through them.

**~DW~**

Once we're back in the TARDIS, I take a hot shower. Then I go to relax in the library for a while – I have a Harry Potter book to finish. I'm completely absorbed in my reading when the Doctor clears his throat in front of me.

"Normally I'd hate to interrupt someone reading a Harry Potter book…but we need to talk."


	21. The Story of Maximum Ride

**A/N: I can't believe how great the responses to this story have been! Thank you all so much!**

** Sorry this chapter took so long! :/ Midterms were this week. Meh. Enjoy this chapter though. I know so many of you have been waiting for this conversation since I started writing!**

**~DW~**

"I was wondering when you would show up," I admit quietly, placing my book on the small table next to me under the lamp. I scoot over to make room for the Doctor. "Ask away."

"I hardly know where to start," he sighs, staring across the room. Then he looks me in the eyes and states simply, "You have wings."

I look down at my hands like they're suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. "Yeah," I respond, trying to sound as casual as possible. "Yeah, I do."

"Can I…can I see?" he asks tentatively.

Slowly, without a word, I stand, taking a few steps forward so I have enough room. Then I turn around and reveal my wings, fluttering them gently to stretch them out. The Doctor gets up slowly, and I feel naked under his gaze. I can't read his expression, or even take a guess at what he's thinking. He walks up to me, reaching out a hand.

"Can I…?" he gestures hesitantly. I nod and he runs his fingers through my feathers.

"They're real," he tells himself aloud, almost in awe. "They're part of you."

"Flesh and bone," I say lightly, giving him a weak smile. He gives me a concerned look.

"How did this happen? It's not natural. I mean…"

"You don't have to explain yourself, I know what you mean," I say quietly. "They've always been a part of me. I was grown out of a test tube – 98% human, 2% avian DNA."

"Who…?"

"Who made me?" I confirm. He nods. "The School."

"You keep mentioning that place – 'The School'."

"It's hard to explain," I say. "Sort of an organization, you could say. Their goal is to improve the human race. They use and create hybrids and mutants like me to experiment on." I don't raise my voice. I can't. If I do, it'll crack.

"They experimented on you?" the Doctor asks, deathly quiet. I can hear the anger in his voice, just beneath the surface. I nod, averting my eyes. "What do you mean by experiment?"

"Run tests," I answer shortly. He doesn't need to know about everything else.

"What aren't you telling me, Rose? You can trust me, you know you can," he urges softly. He takes my hand, lacing our fingers together. I stare down at them, choking back the emotions that threaten to surface.

"It's not easy to talk about this stuff. It's been years."

"I know," he says sympathetically. "But I can't help you if you don't tell me."

I take a deep breath. "There was a lot of…" I pause, swallowing. "There was a lot of bad things."

The Doctor tenses up. His jaw is set, but when he speaks his voice is still gentle.

"Bad things?" he prods. I look him in the eyes and suddenly it all comes spilling out.

"They'd torture me, to see how much I could withstand. There were operations, ways they would try to further improve my biology. They never used any anesthetic, I was always awake. I…" my voice cracks. Tears start to fall. The Doctor wraps his arms around my waist, rubbing circles on my back between my wings.

"Shh," he whispers in my ear. "It's okay, you're okay. I'm here." I lean my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes and breathing him in slowly.

"I wasn't the only one," I continue. "There were others. Iggy was one of them. For the longest time, he was blind. They operated on his eyes and made him _blind_. They wanted to give him night vision."

"Oh…" the Doctor murmurs. I can hear the disbelief and sympathy in his voice.

"It wasn't just what they did. As time went on, I developed powers. I never know when it's going to happen, it just does. That's why I can do the fire thing. I can breathe underwater. I have super speed, mostly when I fly – but when I want, I can run too," I tell him.

"How did you get out?" he asks softly.

"There was a whitecoat – one of the scientists, his name was Jeb. He got us out."

"Us?"

"Yeah," I say, giving a small smile. My own personal Niagra Falls stopped flowing. "The Flock. We were amazing, we truly were. There were six of us – me, Iggy, Fang, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel. We all had wings. Jeb helped us all get out. We hid in the Colorado canyons for years. Every so often the School would send other experiments – Erasers. Part wolf, designed to take us out. We learned to fight them off. Jeb took care of us, raised us. Then one day he was gone."

"What do you mean?"

"We woke up one morning and he wasn't there. Suddenly I was in charge, because I was the oldest. Still, I was only about twelve," I say. I pick my head up off his shoulder and look him in the eye.

"You were twelve?"

"Somewhere around that, yeah. None of us really knew when our birthdays were, we just had approximate times of the year. Fang was a few months younger than me. Iggy was a few months younger than him. Nudge was ten, Gazzy was seven, and Angel was four."

"You raised them?" he asks.

"Pretty much, yeah. For the next two years, I was Flock leader, and Fang was my right hand man. We were all each other had. We were a family."

"What happened?"

"That's a long story."

"We're in a time machine. Take however much time you need," the Doctor points out.

"I guess it all started when the Erasers got Angel. She was only six, I was fourteen. We rescued her," I begin.

"But…?" the Doctor asks.

"We found out Jeb was back at the School," I finish.

"Oh, Rose…"

"I was so angry," I recall. "More pissed off than I had ever been in my life. I was hurt, and upset. It was like my own father betrayed me – we had thought he was dead for so long. But I didn't cry, I didn't show it. If I broke down, so would the rest of the Flock."

"You had to be the strong one," he summarizes sympathetically. "You were raising a family at fourteen."

"Exactly. Over the next year and a half or so, he showed his face a lot more. He offered to stay a few times. But we always refused him. Then it got really crazy when Dylan popped up."

"Dylan?"

"You remember Dr. GH?"

"Yes."

"Well, he made Dylan. Or, I should say cloned him. Dylan was designed carefully to be my perfect other half. He was made to love me. Dr. GH and Jeb wanted us to go off to Germany and have kids or something so they could study the offspring of two hybrids."

The Doctor raises his eyebrows, taking his hands from my waist and crossing his arms. "And what did you say to that?" he asks, smirking.

"I told them I couldn't even keep a goldfish alive," I smile. The Doctor bursts out laughing.

"How did they react?"

"They were kind of mad," I say awkwardly.

"There was another reason you said no, wasn't there?" the Doctor asks, serious again.

I've been dreading ths part the most.

"I loved them. I loved all of them so much," I begin. I pause for a moment, looking at the Doctor. "But I _loved_ Fang."

"Oh," he realizes, understanding.

"For years, neither of us said anything. But we eventually came to terms with our feelings and…acted on them," I say awkwardly.

"Jeb was angry?"

"Very," I sigh. "He basically dumped Dylan in my lap and left, expecting us to do what he said. Dylan would have willingly obeyed, but I stood my ground. I'll never forget the night I taught him how to fly."

"How'd you manage that?"

"I pushed him off the roof," I answer casually, and the Doctor snorts.

"That's one way to do it."

"Jeb was very adamant that we do what he said, and I refused. He freaked out on me. He went off about how he was the reason I was standing there that day, how he got us out of those cages," I explain, recalling the screaming and fighting.

"Wow," the Doctor says.

"He said that if it wasn't for him, I'd be dead."

"What did you say?"

"I asked him which one of us regretted that more," I reply quietly, walking back over to the couch.

"What?" the Doctor exclaims, alarmed.

"I wasn't in the best place at the moment," I say, refusing to look at him. I pick up my book off the table and walk over to the shelf to put it back. "There was so much going on, and I was so stressed…" I stop talking when my voice cracks.

"Rose," says the Doctor. I jump a little. He's right behind me, I didn't hear him walking up.

"Yeah?"

"You're okay now, though, right?" he asks carefully.

"Of course," I tell him. I'm not lying. "I've been okay for a long time. Since I met Mum, really." I turn back around to face him, tucking my wings back in so I can lean against the bookshelf.

"That's the question, isn't it?" the Doctor says. "How the hell did you end up with Jackie Tyler?"

I smile, and then I sigh. "Fang and I were in a relationship. He was the first person I ever really let inside – I could be myself around him, I trusted him to the end of the Earth and back. The School was after him – specifically him. There was something about his DNA, they said, that could lead to the human race's immortality."

"What?" the Doctor exclaims.

"You heard me. The human race's immortality. Fang had what the School wanted, and they were after him. And it was dangerous. We all knew that. And Fang, the damn idiot – he knew it too. I got home one day and he was gone," I say angrily. "All I had was a note – a bloody _note_ – as a goodbye. He wrote that he was sorry, and that he loved me. And I was pissed off. I was _so_ pissed off. But it hurt. Even to think about it, it hurt. My best friend was gone, and he didn't even care enough to say goodbye in person. He abandoned me, and I'm never going to forget that."

The Doctor's eyes widen, and he's silent. I take a deep breath and continue more calmly.

"All my life, I held back. I never cried, I never showed how I felt. I turned my heart into a rock – the less I felt, the better. It was all about being strong, being the support for everyone else. Fang had always been _my_ support. So when he was gone, I finally broke. I cried, I threw things at the wall, I punched a hole in my door – all the built up emotion over the years just exploded," I say. "And once that was gone, I had nothing. I couldn't even get out of bed for a week and a half. I was weighing the Flock down, and they knew it. They asked me to leave, and I did. Iggy tried to come with me, but I told him to stay behind. Someone had to lead the Flock."

The Doctor is speechless. He stares at me silently, sadly.

"Life was hard. I was heartbroken and alone. I just kept flying," I tell him. "I was tired, and filthy, and starving. I was literally on the edge of death – I wouldn't be standing here today if Mum hadn't found me."

"Jackie saved you," he states. I nod.

"She took me in off the streets. She accepted me, wings and all. She loved me. For once, I didn't need to worry about taking care of a family – I had a family taking care of me. I couldn't be more grateful for that," I say, choking up a little. "I had a completely brand new life. I became a new, better person. I left everything behind and moved on – my name, my hair, everything."

"Your name?" he asks softly.

"Yeah," I nod. "All I had before was my experiment identification. When I met Mum, I chose a name for myself. I became Rose Tyler."

The Doctor smiles. "That's good. I happen to like Rose Tyler very much. But who were you before?"

"My name was Max," I reveal. "It was short for Maximum Ride."

"Maximum Ride," the Doctor murmurs, trying it out.

"That's my story," I finish. "That's everything."

"Wow," the Doctor sighs, raising his eyebrows. "That's…wow."

"Tell me about it." The room is silent for a moment.

"Rose, do you trust me?" the Doctor asks suddenly. I give him a confused look.

"Of course I do," I say, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Will you let me run a test of two in the infirmary? I want to make sure you're safe," he asks hesitantly.

I nod slowly. "I trust you."

He gives me a small smile and hold out his hand. I take it, holding it a bit tighter than normal. Even if it's the Doctor, tests aren't really my thing. He leads us down the hall to the infirmary.

When the door opens, I'm overwhelmed by the smell of antiseptic. Instinctively, I step back quickly, letting go of the Doctor's hand so I can cover my nose with my own. My heart starts pounding.

His hands come immediately to my shoulders.

"Rose, it's okay, you're okay. There's nothing in here that's going to hurt you, I promise," he says in a soothing voice. I don't move.

"I promise you, Rose," he repeats. I get my heart rate under control, taking my hands from my face. I breathe through my mouth so I won't have to smell it. The Doctor gives me a reassuring smile. I grab his hand tightly with both of my own and we walk into the room. He leads me over to a bed with white sheets.

"Sit here," he tells me I obey. He lets go of my hand and turns to the cabinet on the wall, pulling out a needle. Then he slides on his glasses.

My eyes widen and my hands start to tremble. My heart starts beating faster again. My mind brings me back to the whitecoats.

"Rose?" I hear. I snap out of my memories, tuning into the Doctor's concerned voice. I look him in the eyes.

"Don't be scared," he says gently, brushing my hair behind my ear. He rubs his thumb across my cheek lightly. "I'm just going to take a little blood, that's all."

I give a slight nod, my eyes not leaving his. He ties a rubber band on my upper arm.

"Can you hold out your arm?" he asks. I do what he says. He swabs my arm to clean it. I turn away, closing my eyes. There's a slight pinch. I wince and whimper softly. The pinch of a needle is always followed by worse things.

Then a bandage is placed on my arm. I feel a gentle touch on my forehead. I calm myself down, breathing in and out slowly.

"Rose, it's okay, you can open your eyes now," the Doctor says. I open my eyes reluctantly.

He's smiling at me. I give him a weak one in return. He holds up a stethoscope.

"Is this okay?" I nod. He puts them in his ears and presses the cool metal to my chest.

"Does your heart normally beat this fast?" the Doctor inquires.

"Yeah," I tell him. He takes off the stethoscope, putting it on the bed's nightstand. Then he takes out his sonic screwdriver and runs it up and down the length of my body. I look at him quizzically.

"What did you just do?"

"Took an x-ray," he tells me.

"Can I leave now?" I ask anxiously. He nods.

"I have a few more questions, but we don't need to do that here," he says, sliding off his glasses and putting them in his pocket with the sonic. He takes my hand and we leave the room. I can breathe normally again.

He asks me more questions along the way to my room.

"How high is your metabolism?"

"High."

"How strong are you?"

"Strong."

He rolls his eyes, trying to look annoyed, but he smiles. We reach my door.

"Thank you," he says out in the corridor. "I know that wasn't easy for you."

"Yeah," I mumble. "Just…even the smell of antiseptic. It makes me feel like there's something worse coming. There always was."

"Not anymore," the Doctor says. "I'll make sure of it. I won't let them hurt you again."

**~DW~ THE DOCTOR'S POV**

Rose asks me to stay with her until she falls asleep. I can't say no. I pull up a chair beside her bed and stroke her hair until she's breathing deeply. I smile softly, kissing her forehead before I stand.

I close the door quietly on the way out, and return to the infirmary. I check the readings of the blood tests I ran earlier. I take note of a few things, but really I needed to test her for one reason.

The Time Vortex is gone, I'm sure of it.


	22. New Doctor, New Earth

**A/N: I'm so sorry for how AWFULLY late this chapter is…I've been getting **_**slammed**_** with homework. Had to write a rap about cell division…and do two hundred algebra problems…so yeah, didn't have much time to write. And when I did, my mind was drawing a blank. BUT IT'S ALL BETTER NOW, SO ENJOY!**

**~DW~**

I wake up in a cold sweat, breathing hard. The images of my dream flash before my eyes. My heart pounds and I run my hand through my hair, pushing it out of my face. I swing my legs over the side of my bed and rub my eyes.

Because it wasn't a dream, it was too real. They were memories. I remember it, I remember everything. I remember Satellite Five.

Jack and Iggy aren't rebuilding the Earth. They're dead. There's a pang in my chest, a deep ache that I haven't felt in a long time. The same ache that came with leaving the Flock so many years ago.

Now Iggy is gone for good, and so is Jack. I don't bother holding back the tears this time. I pull a towel out of the closet and hop in the shower, taking my time. I need to pull myself together. As much as it hurts, and as much as I hate it, I have to move on.

**~DW~**

"Hello! Good night's sleep?" the Doctor asks cheerily when I walk into the console room after I've eaten. I give him a false smile, hoping he won't see through me.

"Yeah, definitely. Where are we headed today?" I inquire, changing the subject quickly.

"I've already landed us," the Doctor grins. "Care to take a look?" He gestures to the door. I walk out quickly, and he follows right on my heels. I open the doors and step outside.

The grass is the perfect shade of green, and the sky is the perfect shade of blue. There's a futuristic city in the distance. Flying cars and ships zoom across the sky. The smell of apples lingers in the air.

"Five billion and twenty three, in the galaxy M87," the Doctor informs me. "This is New Earth."

"This is _Earth_?"

"_New_ Earth."

"I'm never going to get used to this," I laugh, shaking my head. "Not in a million years."

"Not in five billion years," the Doctor corrects. I smack his arm.

"Shut up, you're so stupid sometimes," I sigh with a smile. "What smells like apples?" He bends down and picks a few blades of grass.

"Apple grass," he smiles.

"That's amazing. This is amazing…" I trail off, linking my arm through his. "I love this. Can I just say…travelling with you, I love it."

"Me too," he says. I beam at him. He takes my hand and yanks me forward, running down the hill. I collapse in the grass at the bottom. He plops himself down next to me. I lay back in the grass as the Doctor lays out his coat. He sits on it, leaning back on his elbows, patting the spot next to him.

"What, afraid of getting grass stains?" I snort. But I crawl over next to him anyway, lying on my back next to him.

We sit in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the peace. I close my eyes, breathing in the scent of the grass.

"Okay, so why is this place called New Earth?"

"Well, you know that in the year five billion the sun expands. Earth gets roasted."

"That was our first date," I tease, a smirk playing on my face. I open my eyes to look at him.

"We had chips," he says, leaning back to lie next to me. He grabs my hand. "Anyway, the humans obviously needed somewhere else to go. The hunt was on for a while until they found this place. It's go the same air, same orbit, same everything. One phone call and everyone was moving in!"

"What's the city called?"

"New New York."

"Stop messing with me, I'm not that stupid," I say, rolling my eyes.

"No, really! Well, strictly speaking, it's the fifteenth New York since the original. That makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York," he says.

I turn my head to look at him. Our faces our inches away from each other. I take in his features for a moment, mapping him out like he's unfamiliar territory – in a way, he is.

"What?" the Doctor asks, breaking the silence.

"You're so different," I tell him, smiling.

"New New Doctor," he grins, chuckling. I giggle.

"So are we gonna go see the city or what?" I ask excitedly, somewhat impatient.

The Doctor rolls his eyes. "Well, I guess we could, if you want to," he says sarcastically. Then his tone gets more serious. "But I have to make a stop over there first." He nods his head in the direction of a large building with a green moon painted on the side. He starts to get up. I follow in his footsteps.

"Why? What is that place?"

"I got a message on the psychic paper," he says, pulling it out of his coat and showing it to me. The words _Ward 26 – Please Come_ flash on the paper.

"Ward 26? Like a prison ward?" I ask.

"No, it's a hospital," he says hesitantly. I frown. Hospitals aren't exactly my forte. Yesterday on the TARDIS I thought I was going to pass out in the med bay, and all it took was the scent of antiseptic. He looks me in the eyes. "You don't need to come, not if you don't want to. It shouldn't take that long."

I'm torn. I don't want to admit it, but the idea of going into a hospital scares me. The last time I was in a real hospital was when I was fourteen and Fang got hurt. I found out later that the place had been crawling with whitecoats, and the woman who had been taking care of us was one of them.

"Only for a little while, right?" I say lightly. "I think I can handle it."

The Doctor gives me an uneasy look. "Are you sure, Rose? Really, you don't have to."

"I want to," I insist. "I need to get over this eventually. I'm not going to let it haunt me forever. I have to learn to deal with it."

"Alright," the Doctor sighs, still not sounding very sure. "Let's go."

**~DW~**

Walking through the hospital doors, I tighten my grip on the Doctor's hand. He smiles reassuringly. I give him a weak one in return. I decide to ask a question to keep my mind off of the too-clean smell of the building.

"Why do they even need this hospital?" I ask. "You'd think they'd have cured everything by now, right?"

"Not necessarily," the Doctor answers. "There are tons of viruses out there, and they're constantly mutating. The human race has changed over time, and adapted, but so have the viruses."

I stop walking, distracted by a nurse that walks by. She's dressed like a nun, and she's a cat.

The Doctor is yanked backwards when he moves to step forward again but I hold him back. He looks at me, questioning.

"Are you okay? Do you want to leave?" he asks, concerned.

"They're _cats_," I state. "They're cats, and they're dressed like _nuns._ I don't like cats _or_ nuns."

"Be nice," he reprimands. "Just think of what you look like to them, all…" he trails off, letting go of my hand and stepping back so he can look me up and down. His face brightens when he finds the words. "Pink and yellow!" he finishes.

"They don't have a shop," he says suddenly, completely distracted from the topic. "I love a little shop. I'd put it there."

"Pink and yellow?" I mutter to myself. "Pink and yellow…" I notice too late that the Doctor has gotten into the lift. So does he.

"Hold on!" I cry. He moves to stop the doors from closing, but it's not soon enough. I pound my fists against the closed doors.

"Damn it!" I curse, annoyed. I hear the Doctor's voice calling down from the elevator shaft.

"It's alright, catch the next one! Ward 26! And watch out for the…" he calls, but his voice gets more and more distant with every word until I can't hear him anymore. I look over at the other lift to the left, slamming my hand onto the button and crossing my arms while I wait. I tap my foot impatiently until the door opens, anxious to get back to the Doctor. I stomp inside when they finally slide open.

"Ward 26," I growl, my arms still crossed. I stare angrily at the ceiling, as if the lift can somehow understand that it's pissing me off.

"Commence stage one disinfection," chimes a voice from above.

"What - ?" I begin, but I'm cut off by a shower of what smells like hand sanitizer. I shriek, closing my eyes.

"Gah! What the hell is this?" I cry, holding my arms above my head. It's a worthless attempt at protecting me from the shower of disinfectant. I slap at the wall violently, searching for an off button. "I'm sorry I was rude! I won't do it again!" I say to the ceiling. Apparently she was listening last time.

The stream of disinfectant stops. I breathe a sigh of relief, opening my eyes. I'm completely soaked. A blow dryer starts up, and my hair is blown in every possible direction. I frown once it's stopped and the doors open.

I step out of the elevator quickly. "I am _so_ taking the stairs on the way back down," I mutter.

"The human child is clean," says a wide-eyed…man thing down the corridor. He looks like he's gotten a bunch of tattoos all over his body, but they've faded over time. I gawk at him awkwardly for a moment before gathering my senses.

"Um, is this Ward 26?" I ask.

"This way, Rose Tyler," he smiles. Something is off about him.

"How the hell do you know my name?" I call as he scurries off down the corridor. I narrow my eyes when he doesn't respond. I scan my surroundings, picking up a metal rod off the floor in case I need to defend myself. It looks like this floor was never finished or something. I follow down the corridor where Doodle Dude went.

I don't see anything at first but an old movie that's projected on the wall. A blonde woman smiles in a sparkly dress that Nudge would swoon over.

"Peekaboo!" says a voice behind me. I recognize it, tightening my grip on my makeshift weapon and holding it out threateningly in front of me as I spin around.

"Don't even think about coming anywhere near me, Cassandra," I spit angrily.

"What am I going to do, flap you to death?" she asks. I'm sure if she had any eyebrows left, she would be raising them.

"Point taken," I shrug. "But what's his deal?" I nod toward Doodle Dude.

"Oh, that's Chip, he's my pet," she smiles.

"I worship the mistress!" Chip claims eagerly. Something about him reminds me of Gollum.

"He's not even a proper life form, he was a model grown from a test tube," she sighs with a fake sympathy. She's being like this on purpose.

"Just because he was grown from a test tube doesn't mean he isn't a proper life form," I defend.

"Oh, yes, how rude of me. That's how you came to be too, isn't it?"

"How did you know?" I demand. "Even back on Platform One, you knew."

"You're better known than you'd believe in your future," she says.

"What do you mean?"

"The School doesn't remain a secret forever," Cassandra says. "And how could they become known without their most successful experiment? But don't fret about the future, dear, let's talk about here and now."

"Why are you still alive? How?"

"The brain of my mistress lived," Chip says. "And her pretty blue eyes were salvaged from the remains."

"And the skin? I was there, I saw it. You kind of exploded. What did they do, sew you back together?"

"This piece of skin is from the back of my body," she says, narrowing her eyes at me. I burst out laughing.

"You're _literally_ talking out of your…"

"Ask not," Cassandra cuts me off. I calm down the laughter, but the immature smile stays on my face.

"Does the hospital know you're here?"

"Chip steals medicine. Helps his mistress," he says, stroking her skin (because what else is there to stroke?).

"It does get lonely, being the last human," Cassandra sighs.

"Don't even get started, because we both know that isn't true. The human race has grown and evolved, like they _should._ Look at you, for God's sake, you're a skin trampoline!" I cry.

Cassandra seems to be done with Ms. Nice Guy. "Chip, activate the psychograft!" she demands.

"Activate the wha…?" I start, but freeze. Literally. I can't move my arms and legs. Bars of light come down from the ceiling to the floor, making an ideal cage. Once I'm trapped, I can move again, but I start to panic.

"No!" I shout. "Let me go!" I'm genuinely terrified. I yank desperately at the bars, but it does nothing. "Doctor!"

Chip moves closer, and I step back as far as possible. Not focused, I trip over my own feet and hit the ground, hard. I stare at him wide eyed from behind bars as he approaches dangerously, and memories come flooding back of the day everything took a turn for the worse.

_Now what should we do with the experiments? How do you think we should test their abilities?_

_ That's simple. We torture them._

"No, please," I whimper. "Leave me alone, please!" I hug my arms. I feel the walls are closing in on me. Then there's an electric shock, and it all goes black.

**~DW~ THE DOCTOR'S POV**

It doesn't take very long to find out who brought me here. I spend a bit talking to Novice Hame, the nurse taking care of the Face of Boe. I find out as much as I can about the other patients. The medicines the nurses are using are extremely advanced. Deadly diseases are being cured within hours. But there's a growing concern within me. I still haven't seen Rose. I decide to call her.

She picks up after a few rings. I sigh with relief.

"Rose! Where are you?" I ask.

"Um…wotcha…" she says. I cock an eyebrow. She sounds different.

"Where have you been?" I ask, worried. "Did you go back to the TARDIS?" I know she was uneasy about the idea of going to a hospital. I wouldn't blame her if she decided to sit this one out.

"Just wandering," she answers slowly. "I shall proceed up the Apples and Pears."

"You shall…" I start, confused, but shake my head. I don't even want to know. I put down her odd behavior as a way of coping with her fears about being in a medical building. "You'll never guess, I'm with the Face of Boe! Remember him?"

"Course I do," she laughs oddly. I turn around at a loud laugh from another patient, the Duke of Manhattan.

"I'd better go," I tell her. "See you in a minute."

I follow the sound of laughter.

"It's that man!" cries the Duke happily. "My good luck charm! Come in, don't be shy!"

"Any friendship expressed by the Duke of Manhattan…" begins his legal assistant, but I cut her off.

"Yeah, yeah, the whole legal nonsense, I get it," I say, holding up a hand. I turn to the Duke.

"I thought you had Petrifold Regression?"

"Completely cured!" he nods joyfully.

I turn to the nearest cat nurse, Matron Casp. "How did you cure him?" I ask. "It should be impossible!"

She refuses to tell me, going on about patient confidentiality. I roll my eyes. Another nurse calls her off because she's needed in intensive care. As they walk out, Rose walks in. I smile, watching her smooth down her hair. She smiles back at me.

"There you are!" I exclaim, grabbing her arm. "Come and look at this!" I drag her over to a patient. "He had Marconi's Disease. It should take years to recover. Two days. This man, here, he had Pallidome Pancrosis! Kills you in ten minutes – he's perfectly fine! We've got to find a terminal; I have to see how they do this!" I drag her off.

"I can't Adam and Eve it," Rose says. I stop in my track and turn to look at her. I look her up and down. She's put on lip gloss and unbuttoned the top of her shirt. Her hands are on her hips. Everything about this picture is wrong. What happened to you-can-get-lip-gloss-on-me-over-my-dead-body? On top of that, Rose doesn't put her hands on her hips. She always crosses them.

_Why do you know that? It's weird that you know that,_ taunts a voice in my head, but I brush it off.

"What's with the voice?" I ask slowly.

"Oh, I don't know," she sighs, smiling. "Just larking about New Earth…new me…" She steps closer, looking me up and down.

"Well, I can talk," I grin. "New New Doctor."

"Aren't you just…" she agrees distractedly. Suddenly, she grabs the back of my head and yanks my lips down to hers. My eyes widen before they fall closed. Her hands run through my hair, scratching at my scalp, sending shivers down my spine. She pulls away, breathing heavily. I open my mouth to say something, but the words die in my throat as I stare into her eyes.

"T…terminal's this way," she says, rubbing the back of her neck as she walks off. I stare after her, slightly dazed. I smooth down my hair, my mind racing. Something is definitely wrong with Rose.

I'm surprised to find myself disappointed. But there's a part of me inside that's proud.

"Yep," I say, my voice coming out an octave higher than usual. "Still got it."

**~DW~**

I find a computer built into the wall and hack into the system with my sonic. I bring up a map of the hospital, but I'm unable to find anything out of the ordinary.

"I heard a nurse talking about Intensive Care," Rose suggests. "That's not on the map. Why would they hide an entire department?"

"Oh!" I realize. She's right; Intensive Care isn't on the map.

"Search the sub-frame," she suggests. I pause in my tracks, glancing at her uneasily before doing what she suggests. Rose has no idea what a sub-frame even is.

"What if it's locked?" I ask. Another test.

"Try the installation protocol," she answers. That settles that. Someone did something to Rose, and I'm going to have it reversed if it's the last thing I do. I scan the computer screen again, and the wall slides down into the floor, revealing a hidden corridor. Rose skips right along into the greenish light, not looking back. I follow behind her.

We head down a metal staircase. It leads us to a huge, greenish, dimly lit room. There are rows and rows of green doors. Looking over a railing I could see hundreds, maybe thousands of them. Rose tugs on the handle to one of the doors, but it's locked. I come over and unlock it with the sonic, slowly opening the door.

There's a man chained up inside. He's covered with boils, rashes, and bruises. His eyes are pained, and he moans. I'm completely speechless. How could this happen?

"That's gross," Rose says disgustedly, lifting her hand to hold her nose. "What's wrong with him?"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I tell the man. I close the door gently, knowing there's nothing I can do. I move to the next door. This time it's a woman, in the same condition as the man.

"What disease is that?" Rose asks.

"All of them," I tell her quietly, shutting the door carefully. "Every disease in the galaxy."

"Are we safe?" she gasps, her eyes widening.

"The air's clean, just don't touch them," I explain. I turn around to lean on the railing, gazing out at all the doors. Rose stands next to me.

"How many patients are there?" she asks. I look at her uneasily. This had to happen the _one _time we go to a hospital. I swallow, hesitating before I speak.

"They're not patients," I say softly.

"But they're sick," she says. "If not patients, then what are they?"

"Experiments," I tell her quietly. "They were made to be sick. The Sisters have built the ultimate research lab." I watch her carefully, looking for any signs of panic, worry, or stress. It's time I took her back to the TARDIS. I can come back and set this right on my own. She shouldn't be around this.

"Why don't they just die?" she asks, as if it's nothing. It's like she doesn't care. People are being used, people are _hurting_, and _Rose doesn't care._

"It's for the greater good," Novice Hame says behind me. I turn to face her angrily. "The Sisterhood has sworn to help."

"By killing?" I demand.

"They aren't real people, they're just grown. They have no proper existence," Novice Hame insists.

"How many die a day?" I shout. "A thousand? Maybe more? How many years has this been going on? How many?"

"They're just flesh," she says calmly. "That's all they are, flesh."

"These people are _alive_," I tell her.

"People out there are living happy and healthy because of us," Novice Hame says defensively.

"If they live because of this, life is worthless," I spit.

"Just to confirm," Rose says casually, slipping around I front of me, "no one on the surface actually knows about this?"

"We thought it best…" Novice Hame starts, but I cut her off.

"What the hell have you done to Rose?" I demand. Novice Hame adopts a confused expression, and Rose spins around to face me, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you mean," Novice Hame says.

"I'm fine!" Rose insists. "Really, they haven't done anything!"

I take a deep breath, stepping closer to Novice Hame. "I'm being very, very, calm right now. Whatever you've done to her, I want it reversed _right now_. People are dying, being used as experiments, and Rose would care. I promised her I would keep her safe; I told her I wouldn't let anyone hurt her."

"Oh you're so clever, aren't you?" Rose smiles humorlessly. I spin around to face her, startled by how close she is. She fingers the buttons on my coat.

"What's happened to you?"

"Smarty pants," she says, pulling my tie out. I stare at her.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Rose?"

"I'll give you a clue," she whispers in my ear. "The last human."

"Cassandra?"

"Wake up and smell the perfume," she says. Then there's the scent of flowers and darkness.

**~DW~**

When I wake up, I'm in one of the cells in Intensive Care. I quickly stand, pounding on the door angrily.

"Cassandra! Let me out!"

"Aren't you the cutest?" she says, looking through the glass with a smirk on her face. But it looks wrong. It's not Rose's smirk. There's no joy in it.

"You stole Rose's body!"

"I've spent a lot of time within the past few years thinking of ways to kill you, Doctor," she sighs. "Now I have exactly what I need. A thousand diseases. The patients get a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about three left."

"Just let Rose go, Cassandra," I beg. "You'll kill her, her mind can't handle it!"

"I will, as soon as I've found a younger, more beautiful candidate," she says, waving me off. Then I hear the voices of Sister Jatt and Matron Casp.

"What is it you want?"

"Straight to the point, Whiskers," Cassandra snaps. "Money."

"We don't have any money to give," Sister Jatt says. "The Sisterhood is a charity."

Cassandra snorts. "The humans pay you a fortune, and that's what I'm looking for. Give me the money, and I won't tell anyone about all the people you murder daily. How's that for a deal?"

"I'm afraid I have to decline," says Matron Casp.

"Oh, bringing out the claws now, are we?" Cassandra smirks. She turns around. "Chip! Plan B!"

The doors to all of the cells in the row swing open. I scramble out quickly. Cassandra is racing off, and I bolt after her.

"Don't touch them!" I shout. I swear, if she gets one scratch on Rose's body…

I hear screaming behind me, and quickly turn to see the rest of the cell doors opening. Sister Jatt is ambushed by one of the infected.

"Quick, down the stairs! I want that body safe, Cassandra!" I order, pushing her along into the basement.

"This way!" she cries, rushing through a door. I slam it, locking it with the sonic.

"We're trapped," Cassandra wails. "What do we do?"

"We're gonna start off by having you leave that body," I tell her, raising my screwdriver at her. "You used a psychograft, and that's banned on every civilized planet in existence. You'll compress Rose to death, and I won't have that."

"I have nowhere to go!"

"I don't care. Float around as atoms in the air, but you will _not_ stay inside Rose," I say angrily. "Give her back to me."

"If you insist," she sighs.

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

I gasp for breath as I feel Cassandra's consciousness leave my body.

"Oh, my head…" I groan. My skull throbs dully.

"Where did she go?" I ask aloud, turning to the Doctor.

"Well," the Doctor says, his voice more high pitched. "This is different."

"Oh my god," I mumble. "Cassandra!"

"Goodness me, I'm a man!" she exclaims. "So many parts! And hardly used…"

I frown, shaking my head to clear it. Okay, Cassandra in the Doctor's body. That's a problem, because I need the Doctor.

Cassandra is hopping up and down, wriggling around.

"Having an issue?"

"Two hearts! Oh, baby, I'm beating out a samba!"

"Get the hell out of him!" I say, exasperated. She completely ignores me, running a hand down the Doctor's body.

"Oh, he's slim…and a little bit foxy," she comments, wiggling eyebrows at me. I avert my eyes, blushing hotly. She leans in close to me.

"You've thought so too," she smirks. "You _like_ it!" The taunting smile is wiped off her face when the infected zombie-people crash through the doors. Cassandra squeals like a little girl.

"What do we do? The Doctor, what the hell would he do?" she asks frantically. I look around the room for another potential exit.

"Ladder!" I exclaim, grabbing a rung and starting to climb. Cassandra yanks me down, clambering up before me.

"Me first, Blondie!"

"Bitch," I mutter, climbing up after her.

**~DW~ THIRD PERSON POV**

"Cassandra, get out of him!" Rose shouts. "He can think of something! He knows what he's doing!"

"Yap, yap, yap, oh it was awful inside your head. Hormone City!" she rants.

"Shut the hell up and _get out of him_!" Rose yells. "They're getting closer, move!"

Cassandra whimpers, hastily getting back to climbing. Rose rolls her eyes, following behind quickly.

Rose stops abruptly when Cassandra stops.

"The door is sealed, now what?" Cassandra cries.

"Use the sonic screwdriver, stupid!" Rose tells her. Cassandra reaches into the pocket of the Doctor's suit.

"This thing?" she asks, holding out the screwdriver with her thumb and forefinger like it's the most disgusting thing in the galaxy. She wrinkles up her nose.

"Yes, 'that thing'," Rose says, frustrated.

"I don't know how, the Doctor's hidden away all his thoughts!"

"Go back into me! The Doctor can do it!" Rose demands.

"If you insist," Cassandra shrugs. She leaps back into Rose.

"Open it!" she tells the Doctor.

"Not until you get out of her!" the Doctor says angrily, pointing his screwdriver at her.

"I can't! We need you!"

"I order you to leave her!" the Doctor shouts, his eyes blazing.

"Fine!" Cassandra cries, jumping back into the Doctor.

"Get out of him, Cassandra!" Rose cries.

"He won't do anything, he just tells me to get out of you!" she complains.

Rose glances down at the approaching infected zombies.

"Go into one of them! Just for a second!" she suggests.

"Oh, I am going to regret this," Cassandra groans, jumping into the closest diseased woman. The Doctor opens the doors quickly, holding out a hand to Rose and pulling her up. He grins at her. Cassandra is quick to jump back into Rose before the Doctor seals the doors.

**~DW~ THE DOCTOR'S POV**

"How many times do I have to say it, Cassandra? Get out…" I begin furiously as I close the doors. I trail off when I turn around and see the far off look on Rose's face.

"Inside her head, it was so lonely," she whimpers. "They keep reaching out, they just want a hand to hold…their whole lives, and they've never been touched."

"Come on," I say, taking her wrist and dragging her along. The corridor leads to the entrance of Ward 26. The Duke of Manhattan's assistant brandishes a chair, swinging it wildly.

"We're safe!" I cry over her screaming. "Look, look, we're clean!"

She tosses aside the chair.

"I've been trying to get a hold of the city, they might be able to send help," she explains.

"We can't break quarantine! There are millions of people in the city, if one particle of disease gets out, they'll die!" I tell her. I turn to everyone else in the room. "I need the cure for every single disease, right now! Move it!"

They scramble around, gathering medicine bags. I find a rope and tie it around my body. One by one, Cassandra hands me the medicine bags to attach to it. Once I have them all, I walk over to the lift and open the doors.

"The lifts don't work," Cassandra says.

"I don't need them to," I say. I stick the sonic between my teeth and jump. I grab a hold of the wire in the shaft. I turn to Cassandra expectantly.

"Oh, no," Cassandra says. "Not gonna happen. No."

"You're so desperate to stay alive," I say, "why don't you live a little?"

"Oh, god," she moans, jumping. She clings to my back.

"You are _completely _mad!"

"Going down!"

Cassandra screeches in my ear all the way to the bottom. I hop off.

"When I tell you to, pull that lever," I tell her, pointing to it. I get to work with the medicine bags, ripping them open with my teeth and pouring the solutions into clear container where the lift's disinfectant would be. Then I pop open the trap door and drop down. I open the doors with the sonic.

The infected are out in the lobby, huddled around in groups. They walk toward me when they see me. I urge them on.

"Come on, I'm in here! Cassandra, pull the lever!"

The speaker comes on. "Commence stage one disinfection."

A shower of medicine solutions spews from the ceiling, soaking me and the infected people. I grin, watching boils and rashes disappear.

"Pass it on!" I tell them. They go around, spreading good health to one another. Cassandra hops down into the lift next to me.

"What did you do?"

"I cured them!"

**~DW~**

Once all the commotion had wrapped up, I head back to Ward 26 with Cassandra. The Face of Boe is still there, looking much better than he did before.

"You were supposed to be dying," I say, smiling at him. I kneel down in front of him. Cassandra keeps her distance.

"There are better things to do today, death can wait," he says telepathically.

"Are the legends true?" I ask. "They say you are millions of years old."

"That would be impossible," he says with a slight laugh.

"I got the impression you needed to tell me something," I say.

"It can wait. We shall meet again, Doctor, for the last time. The truth shall be told. Until that day…" he says, trailing off. Then he vanishes, teleporting away.

"That is…that is textbook enigmatic," I say, raising my eyebrows. I sigh, standing back up to face Cassandra. She's examining Rose's nails, looking disgusted.

"Honestly, you'd think she's a filthy animal. Look at all these broken nails! Not even painted…"

"It's time for you to go, Cassandra," I say coldly. "You've done enough damage today."

She looks up at me, hurt and defensive. "Can't you just leave me?" she begs. "I don't want to die!" She starts to cry. My hearts clench.

_Not Rose_, I remind myself.

"No one wants to die," I say calmly.

"Can't you do anything? Help me!"

"I can't."

Cassandra gasps as Chip runs into the room. "Oh, you're alive!"

"I kept myself safe for you, mistress," he says gleefully.

I can practically see the gears in her brain turning.

"A volunteer…"

"No," I say immediately. "He has a life of his own."

Chip looks disappointed. "But I worship the mistress! I welcome her!"

Without warning, Cassandra leaps from Rose's body into Chip. Rose starts to fall forward, and I rush to catch her.

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

"Are you alright?" the Doctor asks, concerned. I wince at the pounding in my head. Slowly, I regain my balance and raise my head to look at him. A smile spreads across his face, and I can't help but grin back.

"Hello!" I say breathlessly.

"Oh sweet lord, I'm a walking doodle," Cassandra groans. My smile dissipates as I turn to scowl at her, letting go of the Doctor and walking over to her.

"Congratulations Cassandra, you've earned the award for biggest migraine I've ever gotten," I snap. "You'd better get out of him, or I swear…"

"It's not like I have anywhere else to go! Besides, Chip is only a half-life, and he's been so stressed today, his heart is racing. He won't last…" she retorts angrily, cutting off abruptly. Cassandra's legs give way, and the Doctor lunges forward to support her.

"You alright?" he asks.

"I'm dying," Cassandra says in a tiny voice. "And that's okay. It's time to die, and that's good."

I stare at her, thoughtful for a moment. Maybe people really can change.

**~DW~**

The moment we get back to the TARDIS, I head straight to the kitchen to take something that will get rid of the pounding in my head. The Doctor watches as I swallow the pills. Then I go back for more.

"What are you doing?" he asks, alarmed. "Don't take too much!"

"I won't," I reassure him. "I need double the dose of a normal human, or it won't do anything. My system burns it off too quickly. Same reason I need five thousand calories a day."

He sighs, relieved. "You could've told me!"

"Sorry," I apologize. I turn around to put the dirty cup in the dishwasher. When I turn back around, the Doctor is staring at me. I raise an eyebrow.

"What's up?"

"There are so many things I don't know about you," he says.

"If you want to know, all you have to do is ask." I give him a small smile and he grins back at me. He takes a few steps closer and leans back on the counter next to me, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

"What do you mean? I'm fine," I tell him, confused.

"I mean the whole thing with the hospital today, and then Cassandra…" he says, tugging at his ear awkwardly and looking away.

"Hospitals are never going to be my favorite place," I say slowly. "I'm always going to avoid them at all costs."

"When we got separated today, before everything started, were you okay, though? On your own?" he presses.

"I was actually alright until Cassandra," I recall. "When Chip activated that machine, he had to trap me first. I…" I trail off, blushing. I feel ashamed of how terrified I was. I hate how my past controls me, even now when I've tried to leave it all behind.

"What?"

"I panicked. I totally lost it, I was so scared," I confess. I look him in the eye. He wraps his arms around me slowly, and I hug him back.

"I can help you," he says in my ear, "if you'll let me." I pull away to look at him.

"How?"

"Do you remember…there was a night you couldn't sleep…" he begins.

"When you did your Time Lord mind thing?" I smirk. He smiles, nodding.

"I can teach you a few things that could calm you down in a situation like that. It also wouldn't hurt to build you some mental blocks, considering the way Cassandra invaded your mind today…" he suggests. I nod.

"Do your thing," I tell him, stepping back and holding out my arms dramatically.

"Just like last time, picture a door in front of anything you don't want me to see," he says, placing a hand on either side of my face. He closes his eyes, and I close mine. I can feel his presence in my mind, and I smile. It's just like the last time he did this.

Except this time, I have nothing to hide. It's all out in the open now. He knows about my wings, he knows about the Flock. I have no secrets to keep from him, and no memories to lock behind doors. Too soon, I feel him drawing away, and my mind feels empty. I open my eyes again. The Doctor is looking at me like he can't quite believe I exist.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

"You…there were no doors," he sputters. "You didn't hide anything from me."

"I have nothing to hide," I say simply. "Not anymore. I don't have anything to keep from you."

"No one has ever trusted me like that," he swallows. "Thank you." His tone is gentle and sincere. I lose track of time as we stare at each other.

I yawn, suddenly realizing how tired I really am. The Doctor snaps out of his trance, stepping away from me.

"Right, off to bed with you. It's been a long day," he orders. I give him a tired smile, hugging him one last time before I head back to my room.


	23. Werewolf

**A/N: Okay, quick question: what point of view does everyone prefer? First person or third person? If third, I can start writing that way and go back to change the other chapters to be the same way.**

**Sorry for my crappy updating lately, guys. Life is taking over.**

**~DW~**

"So," the Doctor suggests, "I'm thinking we go see a concert in 1979."

I grin widely, nodding. "I've never been to a concert before," I admit. The Doctor's jaw drops.

"That settles it," he announces. He tosses a CD in the player on the console, and _Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick_ by Ian Dury and the Blockheads blasts through the speakers. It's my turn to be shocked.

"You listen to this?" I gasp.

"Oi, don't knock it!"

"You're just a punk, aren't you? You hide behind your scientific babble but when you're all alone you dance around singing along to this!"

"Who says I have to be alone?" he says, grabbing my arm and twirling me around. Then he lets go, yanking down hard on a lever and spinning a few dials. The TARDIS lurches and I grab on to the edge of the console. The Doctor beams at me like an idiot, blurry from all the shaking. The movement stops suddenly and I hit the ground hard, falling on my back. There's a moment of absolute silence as I stare at the ceiling. Then I start laughing, turning my head to look at the Doctor doing the same thing.

He hops up quickly, holding out a hand. I grab it and he yanks me to a standing position.

"It's a hell of a year, 1979! China invades Vietnam, The Muppet Movie…"

"Oh my god, you're such a five year old," I tease as he bounds out the door. I collide with him when he freezes in place. I notice his arms held in the air.

_We haven't even been here a millisecond and he's already getting us arrested,_ I think, rolling my eyes. I follow his example and raise my arms. I step to the side to see the guns held in our faces. Soldiers on horses surround us.

"Are we in Scotland?" the Doctor asks, with a perfect accent. I raise my eyebrows, nodding. Not bad.

"You can't possibly be ignorant of that fact," says the soldier on the horse.

"I'm dazed and confused…I've been chasing this…wee naked child over hill and over dale…isn't that right, ya timorous beastie?" he turns to me. I give him my best you're-going-to-pay-for-this glare.

"Ooch, aye! I've been oot and aboot!" I nod, going along with it, making my best attempt at a Scottish accent. Unfortunately, I'm no Gazzy, and my voice mimicking skills aren't up to par.

"Don't," the Doctor says simply, smirking. He's trying not to laugh. I bite my lip, holding in my laughter.

"Identify yourself," the soldier demands. The Doctor gestures toward his coat for permission. The soldier nods, still holding up his gun, but we lower our arms. The Doctor pulls out the psychic paper, showing it to the soldier.

"Doctor James McCrimmon, from the Township of Balamory. I have a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh, trained under Doctor Bell himself," he lies quickly.

"Let them approach," says a voice. I strain my neck, looking around all the soldiers. There's a carriage behind them.

"I don't believe that's wise, ma'am," the soldier starts, but he is cut off.

"Let them approach."

The soldiers move their horses aside, making a path for us. The Doctor strides right up to the carriage, completely nonchalant. I follow behind awkwardly, giving a halfhearted solute to the soldier.

"Rose," the Doctor beams, "might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria!"

My jaw drops. _Queen Victoria?_ _The_ Queen Victoria? My mind searches for something to say.

"Um…hello, ma'am. I'm sorry for…you know, being naked and all…" I say awkwardly, wanting to kick myself. The Doctor smirks at me, handing the Queen his psychic paper.

"Why didn't you mention Lord Provost appointed you as my protector?" she exclaims.

"Oh! Yeah! Sorry about that…okay…" the Doctor agrees quickly, glancing at me. I shrug. Apparently, we're Queen Victoria's newly named protectors. Never thought I would be able to say that.

**~DW~**

We follow behind the soldiers and the carriage with a fast-paced walk. The Doctor shoves his hands in his pockets and I loop an arm through his.

"We just met _Queen bloody Victoria_," I say quietly, smiling.

"I know!"

"I want her to say 'I am not amused'. Bet you five quid I can make her say it."

"That would be abusing my privileges as a time traveler," he says, shaking his head.

"Ten quid?"

"Done."

**~DW~**

Finally, after a few miles, we reach our destination – Torchwood Manor. A man who introduces himself as Sir Robert addresses the Queen.

"I wouldn't blame your Majesty if you wanted to ride on, what with our barely stocked kitchens and minimal house staff…" he says. I hear an edge in his voice. He doesn't want the Queen to stay. I share a look with the Doctor, and I know he has noticed the same thing.

'No, I believe I have had plenty of time in the carriage today. I look forward to my stay here, my husband spoke of it often," the Queen says. Sir Robert appears reluctant, but he nods anyway.

"Please excuse the naked girl," the Queen adds. Everyone turns to look at me. I give a small wave, turning red.

"Sorry."

"She's a feral child," the Doctor says. I glare at him. I see the smug, playful glint in his eyes. "I bought her for sixpence in old London Town. It was her or the Elephant Man, so…"

"He thinks he's funny, but I'm so not amused," I say, determined to get my ten quid out of the Doctor – especially if I'm his 'naked companion'. "What do you think, your Majesty?"

"It hardly matters," she says shortly, turning away. She is led inside by a few guards.

"Don't embarrass yourself further, Rose," the Doctor teases.

"You need to shut it! You're going to pay for that later!" I threaten, but I can't keep the smile from crossing my face.

We watch two guards reach inside the carriage to get a box. They carry it carefully to the house.

"Is that something fragile?" the Doctor asks, curious.

"Property of the Crown. You will dismiss further thoughts, sir," says the Captain of the soldiers. The Doctor rolls his eyes, pulling his best 'whatever' face. I laugh. The Captain raises his eyebrows at us. I quiet down, biting my lip and trying to look like I feel a bit guilty. The Doctor chuckles under his breath next to me.

"Come on, let's head inside," he says, taking my hand. We follow the soldiers into the manor.

**~DW~**

"And here we are," Sir Robert says. "This was my father's observatory."

_Finally,_ I think. I've never been one for tours. I step inside the huge room. A giant telescope sits in the middle of the room.

"Oh, that is beautiful," the Doctor gushes. I smirk as he transfers into geek mode. "Can I…?" Sir Robert nods, and the Doctor hops forward, examining the telescope. I step up next to him as he slides on his glasses (a.k.a the sexy specs. I never thought it was possible to love and hate a pair of glasses so much).

"It's a bit rubbish," he shrugs. There are way too many prisms, and the magnification is off the scale…" He trails off, his voice quieter. He looks at me.

"Am I being rude again?" I smirk, nodding. He quickly stands up straight and turns to everyone else.

"It is pretty though! Very…pretty," he attempts. I place a hand on his shoulder.

"The imagination should be applauded," Queen Victoria says.

"Really? I never would have thought you'd find something like this amusing, your Majesty," I say casually. I take a quick glance at the Doctor. His smile is wide as he shakes his head and rubs an eye with his forefinger.

"Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. Knowledgeable in astronomy and science, yet equally versed in folklore," the Queen states.

"I wish I could have met him," the Doctor says, walking in a circle around the telescope.

"Excuse me, Sir Robert, but perhaps her Majesty's party could be seen to their rooms. It's almost dark," pipes up one of the servants.

"Of course, yes of course," Sir Robert agrees quickly.

"That sounds lovely," the Queen says. "Then we can have supper. Perhaps we can also find clothes for Miss Tyler? I'm tired of the nakedness."

"Not very amusing, is it?" I say pointedly. She ignores me, walking out with everyone else. The Doctor and I fall behind a bit.

"Stop it!" he insists, trying to be serious and failing miserably. I poke him, rocking back on my heels.

"Never," I reply with a mischievous smile.

**~DW~**

One of the servants leads me upstairs to a wardrobe room. I search through the closet looking for something comfortable.

_Frilly. Too much lace. Skirt too puffy. Pink._

I sigh. I really don't want to wear any of this stuff. I open the door to another closet to see if there's anything better in there.

"Bloody hell!" I gasp, noticing a woman crouched in the corner of it. "What are you doing in there?"

"Are they gone?" she asks, trembling.

"Is who gone?"

"The monks! They came through the house; they took the Steward and the Master, and my Lady…"

"Hey," I stop her terrified rambling, holding out a hand. She takes it, grasping tightly as I pull her up gently. "I've got a friend who can help. Let's go get him."

"No, Miss, we can't!"

"We'll be fine," I reassure her. "There are more people downstairs, they can help us. Okay?"

She gives a small, reluctant nod. I creak the door open, poking my head through to check that the coast is clear. I slip out of the room, dragging the maid along by the hand.

"Oh!" she gasps. I turn around and notice an unconscious guard on the floor. I kneel down to check his pulse.

"He'll be fine, we just-" I begin, but a hand covers my mouth. A foot slams into the back of my knee, causing it to buckle. I jab my elbow back, hitting someone.

"Oh, you're stubborn, aren't you?" growls a male voice. Then there's a sharp pain in the back of my head and everything goes black.

**~DW~**

I groan, opening my eyes. My vision is blurry. I blink a few times, clearing it.

"Quiet!" says a frantic woman's voice. "They said if we scream or shout, he will slaughter us!"

I sit up, wincing. "Who the hell is 'he'?" I mutter. I turn my gaze around the room. Through the darkness, I can make out a man with wolf like features in a cage on the other side of the room. _An Eraser? No. The School doesn't even exist right now._ This unfortunately brings to my attention the fact that I'm in a cage. My heartbeat picks up, but I tell myself not to panic.

_Remember what the Doctor said. Imagine the fear fading away. Lock it behind doors, file it away. Don't let it control you._

I breathe deeply, and calm myself down. My head is clearer and I can think better.

"He's in a cage," I think aloud. "He's a prisoner, too. He's like us."

"That creature is inhuman. He's nothing like us!" the woman whispers in a fear-filled voice. I watch the man carefully as I respond to her.

"Well, I'm not exactly human either, so I can't talk," I mumble. The man turns his head toward us. His eyes are completely back. He growls at us. The others behind me whimper, backing up as far as they can.

_It's all just intimidation,_ I think. _Two can play at that game._ I get to my feet. I turn my head side to side, estimating the length of the cage. Then I spread my wings, staring him down.

The people behind me gasp, scrambling back even further. I ignore them, just watching the man. I walk as close as I can, to the edge of the cage, grabbing onto the fence-like bars. I kneel down.

"What are you?" I ask calmly. There's no response. I repeat my question, louder.

"Who are you? You aren't from this planet, so where are you from? Where were you born?"

"This body…ten miles away…so weak, so heartsick. Stolen away by my cultivation. I carved out his soul and sat in his heart," he hisses in a raspy voice.

"You _killed _him," I spit. "His body might be human, but whatever you are – whatever's inside – definitely isn't. Now I think you should answer me, because you're already on my list. You killed an innocent person and took his body for your own use. You're terrifying these people. I'm not going to let you keep doing that. But if you tell me where you're from, I might be able to get you home."

"Why would I leave this place?"

"Why would you stay?" I retort.

"I can give this world such purpose. All I need is the Holy Monarch. Then would mark the beginning of the Empire of the Wolf! Just one bite…"

"You want to take over Queen Victoria," I realize. Not good. Can't have wolfman ruling the country.

Suddenly, he lunges forward, crashing into the bars of the cage. I inhale sharply, slightly startled. The others behind me cry out.

"You know," he says, his eyes shining. He smiles evilly. "You've seen it too! The Wolf! There's something of the Wolf about you!"

"What do you mean?" I ask, trying to think of what he might be talking about. My mind drifts to the School. The Erasers had the DNA of wolves. The Flock had the DNA of birds. What if I have both, and I never knew? Is that was he's sensing?

"You burnt like the sun, but all I require is the moon."

The doors to the cellar fly open and moonlight floods in. My eyes adjust quickly to the light, and I look up to the sky at the full moon. The man presses against the cage, getting as close as he can to the moonlight. He smiles, closing his eyes. My consciousness is yelling at me, but I don't want to listen.

Just one word: werewolf.

I take a few giant steps backward, not taking my eyes off of the man. I look back over my shoulder for a second, talking to the other prisoners.

"We need to get out of here," I tell them. "Take that chain and hand it to me." I point to the chain on the bottom of the cage that connects it to the wall. If I can break it, we can get out of here. One of the men tosses the end of the chain to me. I catch it, grasping it and planting my feet. I yank on it with all my strength. It's old and rusty, so it shouldn't be too hard to make it snap. I can hear the whining of the metal as I pull harder.

There's a bloodcurdling scream from the man in the cage. I falter for a moment before pulling again as hard as I can.

"Come on, come on," I mutter to myself. My eyes don't leave the man. His skin ripples as he screams. Hair sprouts out across his body. He steadily gets taller, his arms growing skinnier as well as his legs. With every second, he looks more like a wolf. Finally, I feel the chain snap. The cage turns over and the others run out. I pause for a moment, eyeing the werewolf.

There's a loud crash. The Doctor storms in, kicking down the doors to the cellar. He rushes up to me, his hands coming to my waist, ready to drag me away.

"About time you showed up!" I cry.

It seems like he notices the werewolf for the first time. His eyes widen and his jaw drops. The wolf grabs at the bars of his cage, denting them.

"Out! Everyone, get out!" he shouts. He helps up people who have fallen. People flood out of the room. I tug on his jacket impatiently as he stands there.

"Doctor!" I yell. The werewolf breaks off the top of the cage, throwing it spinning across the room. It flies in my direction. I jump to the left, but a sharp edge catches my arm and the tip of my right wing. I gasp with pain, biting my tongue. With my good arm, I grab the Doctor's hand and drag him out of the room. He locks the door behind us with the sonic screwdriver.

Everyone runs to the kitchen. The soldiers formulate their own plan of attack, and the Doctor frowns. He's not happy about the whole guns thing. He turns to me.

"What did it say it wanted? It could be any form of light modulated species…" he says quickly, rambling.

"The Queen, the Crown, the throne – you name it," I answer, cutting him off. There's a loud thumping sound out in the hall, and the Doctor rushes out to check what it is. I grab myself a clean dishtowel and press it against my arm to stop the bleeding. My expression screws up into a wince. Despite the stinging, I keep the pressure on it. It's all over my clothes. I didn't think it was _that _bad. I turn to examine the shallow scratch on my wing. That's bleeding too, but not nearly as much. A few feathers are soaked red, but it's nothing I haven't seen before. At least I didn't get shot this time. I shrug the pain aside, shoving the towel in my pocket. I can deal with it; there are more important issues right now. Like the freaking _werewolf._

Everyone rushes around the room, planning and preparing. The Doctor rushes back into the room He grabs my good arm, pulling me behind the line of the men with guns. The captain gives the order to fire, and the shower bullets through the air.

"Come on, retreat! There's nothing to do!" the Doctor insists. The Steward looks at him skeptically.

"I'll sleep well tonight with that thing's hide on my wall," he says. The werewolf reaches out from the hall and grabs him, and I turn my head away when I hear his screams. The Doctor grabs my hand tightly and drags me off again.

**~DW~**

Sir Robert follows us as we run. The Doctor pushes me through a doorway, hurrying Sir Robert inside before slamming the door behind him and locking it with the sonic screwdriver. Judging by the table set with plates and utensils, this was the dining room I was supposed to eat in. My stomach grumbles, thinking of the food I missed.

The Doctor is on the other side of the table, pacing back and forth. Sir Robert races to the window, looking outside.

"The monks are surrounding the building," he alerts. The Doctor runs his hands through his hair, sighing with angry frustration.

Suddenly there's a clicking sound from behind me. I turn around quickly, tense and ready to strike. Queen Victoria stands before me with a gun in her hand. It's pointed at me.

"You Majesty…" I say carefully, slowly stepping closer. I retreat quickly as she grasps the gun more tightly.

"Don't come any nearer, you filthy creature! How dare you come here and endanger our lives? I will not let you hurt any more residents of this house!" she cries, eyes wide.

The room is silent. I glance at Sir Robert, who stares on in shock. The Doctor is frozen in place, his eyes wide and angry. I silently tell him not to move, to let me handle this.

"Your Majesty, please, I promise I am not a monster," I insist. She doesn't react. "They took me, they trapped me too. The _wolf _is after you, not me. Please, you've got to believe me. Everyone's lives depend on it, including yours."

Slowly, she lowers the gun.

"Don't make me regret my decision. The same goes for you, Doctor, the man who changes his voice so easily," she says coldly.

"Thank you, your Majesty," I breathe. My body relaxes. I turn to the Doctor. "What do we do?"

"We run," he says simply. "Your Majesty, I recommend a vigorous jog, good for the health." He jogs in place to demonstrate. He points to the staircase through the door nearest to him. Sir Robert rushes up, and the Doctor leads the Queen. My feet pound on the stairs, following up from behind. Captain Reynolds, the head soldier, stands at the top of the stairs. He holds a gun in his hand.

"Guns won't stop it!" the Doctor warns him. The Captain nods.

"But it can buy you some time," he says. "Remove yourself, ma'am," he tells the Queen, "you have the property, now escape." The Queen nods, and she, the Doctor, and Sir Robert continue running. I stop for a moment in front of the Captain.

"Thank you," I tell him honestly, saluting him. He nods gravely, saluting me as well.

"Good luck, ma'am."

I race down the hall after the others. The Doctor leads them into the library. I glance back at Captain Reynolds again, shooting at the werewolf. Just as we thought, the bullets didn't stop him. I stare on, my expression blank, but I'm boiling with emotion inside. I'm angry, and upset, and scared – and I won't let anyone see. My heart skips a beat.

_That doesn't sound like Rose Tyler, _my mind whispers. _That sounds like Maximum Ride._

"Rose!" the Doctor cries frantically. He grabs me around the waist quickly, pulling me into the library and shutting the door. He and Sir Robert barricade the doors with chairs and freestanding shelves. The Doctor presses his ear to the door. Everyone is deathly silent until he announces it's gone.

Instinctively, I scan the room for any other exits. I notice another door. I rush over to it, dragging a table in front of it. The Doctor and Sir Robert help me block it. We listen closely through the wall to the panting and pattering of the wolf's breathing and footsteps. I sigh with relief as the sounds get more distant.

"What's stopping it?" I ask. "Why is it going away?"

"Something in this room is keeping it out," the Doctor says, trailing off.

"What is it? Why can't it get in?"

"I don't know…" he mutters.

"That's a werewolf," I state, sighing. I run a hand through my hair.

"I know!" the Doctor grins, hugging me. I wince, inhaling sharply.

"Are you alright? What's…" he asks as he pulls away, running his eyes over my body. His eyes settle on my arm and wing. The bleeding has mostly stopped by now. He looks back up to meet my eyes, his own shining with guilt.

"Stop it," I order immediately. "Don't you dare blame yourself."

"I barely even noticed, Rose…you could've been hurt even worse, and I was so distracted…" he says.

"I wasn't though," I point out. "I'll be fine. It looks a lot worse than it is." I grin at him until he smiles back. He shakes his head, pulling out the sonic and grabbing my arm gently. He runs it up and down my cuts.

"They should heal faster, now," he explains. I hand him the towel I grabbed from the kitchen and he wraps it tightly around my arm as a makeshift bandage. Without water to clean up, my clothes and feathers are still bloodied, but I feel better.

"Bloody hell, Rose, you scared me half to death," the Doctor murmurs into my ear, pulling me into a hug. I wrap my arms around his waist, breathing him in.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily. Now come on, let's figure out what's stopping the werewolf."

**~DW~**

We search the room, examining every possible clue as to what the werewolf is avoiding. Nothing immediately stands out to me. I scan the shelves, looking for a book that might have something to do with it.

"Sir Robert, did your father put these here?" I hear the Doctor ask. I turn around. He runs his fingers over the carving of mistletoe in the wall.

"I don't know, maybe…" Sir Robert answers, confused.

The Doctor murmurs to himself, and I watch him get thoughtful. Then he licks the wall. I raise my eyebrows.

"You licked a wall," I tell him, because whatever witty remark I might've had dies in the back of my throat when he slides on his glasses.

"I thought so! Mistletoe! It's been worked into the wood as a varnish!" he exclaims excitedly. "Your father was a genius!"

"What, is the werewolf allergic to it?" I ask, snapping out of my awkwardness.

"It's more likely the monks trained it to react negatively to certain things – they had to control it somehow."

"Well, it's great to know that, but we don't have any actual weapons!" Sir Robert points out.

"Your father got all the brains, didn't he?" the Doctor asks.

"Being rude again," I call.

"Good, I meant that one. We're in a _library._ Books! The greatest weapons in the universe!" he grins, tossing books to Sir Robert and me. "Arm yourselves!"

**~DW~  
**"Come look at this!" the Doctor calls from the other side of the room. I crawl out from under my pile of heavy books to see what he's pointing at. There's a drawing of a rock falling to the Earth on the page.

"A shooting star," he explains. "That held the wolf. More like a parasite, actually – it resides inside the bodies of another species and uses them as a host."

"Sir Robert," Queen Victoria calls. He turns his head toward her, walking over. I stand up straight from leaning over the Doctor's shoulder. I lean on the back of his chair and watch them.

"If am to die here, I ask you to find safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself," she says, opening her bag.

"Hardly a time to worry about your valuables," the Doctor remarks, slightly annoyed. He goes back to his book. But when I see what the Queen pulls out of her bag, I smack him on the back of the head to get his attention.

"Is that the Koh-I-Noor?" he gasps. He stands quickly, walking over for a closer look. He looks to the Queen, asking permission. She hands him the diamond. He sits in the nearest chair, sliding his glasses down his nose for a better look. I kneel next to him.

"How much is that thing worth?" I ask in wonder.

"I'd say the wages of the entire planet for a week," the Doctor says. I watch the light reflect off the smooth surface.

"Nudge would be fighting the wolf with her bare hands for something that sparkles like that," I smile. "She had such a love of all things fashionable…and pink." I make a disgusted look at that, but it doesn't stay for long. I blink, shaking my head of the memories. The Doctor watches me intently, and I stand up and take a few steps away quickly, turning slightly pink.

"You carry it with you?" Sir Robert asks of the Queen. She shakes her head.

"Every year, I get it recut. My husband always said the shine wasn't quite right," she says.

Suddenly the Doctor jumps out of his chair. He's wearing his I-figured-it-all-out face.

"What?" I ask him.

"This house is a trap for the Queen, right? Well what f there's a trap inside a trap? His father, her husband, they weren't telling stories – they believed this was all true. They planned this, they planned everything, and they set up a trap for the wolf!"

There's a moment of silence as we all absorb that, but it's interrupted by flakes of plaster that fall from the ceiling. Banging gets louder over our heads and the ceiling starts to crack.

"Out!" I cry, hurrying everyone to the door. We tear apart our barricade, running out of the room and slamming the door behind us.

"To the observatory!" the Doctor shouts as we run. We come to the doors quickly, the Doctor racing inside.

"Do you have rope to barricade the doors? There's no mistletoe in here, the wolf is meant to get inside…"

"I'll buy you time, Doctor," Sir Robert says. He gives us a meaningful look. The Doctor nods solemnly.

"Good man," he says. Sir Robert closes the door. The Doctor doesn't waste another moment.

"Your Majesty, the diamond!"

"Why?"

"This is what it was designed for!" he turns to me as the Queen takes out the diamond. "Rose, help me turn this!" He gestures to the wheel that spins the telescope.

"I got it," I tell him. "Do what you need to do." I take a hold of the lever on the wheel and push with all my strength, ignoring the shooting pains that fly through my arm. It moves with ease.

"There! That's perfect, Rose! You're brilliant!" the Doctor announces, kissing my forehead happily. I flush, grinning. The Doctor places the diamond in the correct spot and light floods through the room. The wolf walks into a powerful beam of moonlight, and he is lifted off the floor as he retakes human form. The creature dissolves into ash.

"Your Majesty?" the Doctor asks, concern lacing his tone. "Did it bite you?" I snap my head over; noticing the way the Queen favors her wrist.

"It's nothing," she says shortly.

"Let me see," the Doctor says.

"It's nothing, Doctor, I'm fine!" she snaps. The Doctor nods, clearly not believing her.

**~DW~**

The Doctor and I kneel before the Queen.

"By the power invested in me, I dub thee Sir Doctor of the TARDIS and Dame Rose of the Powell Estate," she pronounces, tapping up each lightly on the shoulders with a sword.

The Doctor and I grin ridiculously at each other, getting to our feet.

"Thank you _so _much, ma'am," I say. "No one back home is ever going to believe this."

"You will now know," she begins seriously, "that I am not amused."

"Yes!" I beam, looking to the Doctor. He groans.

"Not remotely amused," the Queen repeats, clearly not understanding my reaction. I bite my lip, trying to wipe the victorious smirk off my face.

"And henceforth, I banish you," she continues. "You are exiled from this empire, never to return. I do not know who you are, or where you are from, but your world is full of terror and blasphemy and death and I will not allow it. Now leave my world, and never return."

**~DW~ THIRD PERSON**

Queen Victoria and Lady Isobel stand in front of the Torchwood House together.

"We will not speak of these events in public, but they will not be forgotten," the Queen says. "Your husband's sacrifice, nor the ingenuity of his father."

"How?"

"I know now that Great Britain has enemies beyond imagination. We must learn to defend ourselves. I propose the idea of Torchwood Institute. It will be used to investigate these strange occurrences and fight against them," the Queen answers. "A School to learn of creatures like that of Rose Tyler would also be considered. If either of them should ever return, they should beware – we will be ready."

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

"Alright," I announce once we're back in the TARDIS. I hold out my hand expectantly. "Pay up."

"But…"

"No buts," I interrupt. "You lost. Ten quid."

The Doctor narrows his eyes at me, and I return the favor. He sighs, reaching deep in his pockets and pulling out my reward. I snatch it from his hand, smiling.

"Thank you very much!"

With sticky hands, I open the door to the

I step into my room, tucking the money into my wallet in the drawer of the night stand. I walk over to my closet. I pull off my dirty, bloodstained shirt and pull on a clean one. Then take a step forward to sit on my bed and take off my shoes.

I unlace my sneakers, lifting my leg to pull them off. It doesn't work. I pull harder, but my shoe is _stuck to my foot. _I let out a frustrated sigh and bring my foot back down to the ground. I must've stepped in something sticky and not realized. I stand up. The Doctor can help me get it off.

Except when I go to pick up my foot to walk to the console room, it doesn't work. Pausing, I look down at my shoes.

"What the hell?" I mutter. I try again to lift my foot, but no luck. I try the other leg, and still nothing.

_Is the TARDIS playing a prank on me? _I wonder.

_No,_ she chimes in my head. _This is not my doing._

_Was it the Doctor?_

_It could not have been._

_Then what the hell is going on?_

I grab my leg, trying to move it with my arms.

"Come _on,_" I say angrily. I try jumping. I throw my weight to the side, trying to pick up the opposite foot. Nothing, nothing, nothing. I struggle against my own feet, grabbing my bedpost and trying to pull myself out of my shoes. I yank with everything I have, throwing myself forward. I fly onto the bed with ease, my shoes left untied in the middle of the floor. I stare at my feet. They look fine. I reach down to pick up my shoes, and they come off the floor like they were never stuck in the first place. I understand everything at once.

To test my hypothesis, I stand up on my bed, reaching to the ceiling. My fingers brush against it with my arms outstretched. I jump. My palms flatten against the wall, and I'm on tip toes. Then I swing my legs up, bringing my feet to the ceiling.

I don't fall. I smile. Developing new powers is pretty cool sometimes. Concentrating, I put one hand and foot in front of the other.

_I'm walking on the ceiling_, I think to myself happily. _Best power yet._

Kicking my feet off the ceiling, I hang by my arms. Then I drop to the ground with a crash. I can hear the Doctor's quick footsteps as he races down the hall, bursting through the door. I smile at him.

"What happened? Are you okay?" he asks quickly.

"I'm brilliant."


	24. School Reunions

**A/N: Holy crap, guys. Seriously, I'm flipping out right now. OVER 100 REVIEWS. Thank you so much!**

**And I'm sorry for the awful wait. It really was terrible. But this chapter is almost 8,000 words, so hopefully that makes up for it.**

**~DW~**

I pull my hair up into a high ponytail, grabbing my black baseball cap. I put it on, pulling my hair through the back. My I.D. card and whistle are on a lanyard around my neck, and my TARDIS key is hidden safely under my shirt. I zip up my jacket halfway, grabbing my clipboard off my desk and tucking a pencil behind my ear. I step outside into the gym, where kids sit on metal benches with their backpacks and books. A group of boys in the corner throw balled up pieces of paper at each other. I blow my whistle, quieting the chatter that echoed throughout the huge room.

Mr. Fredrick is the other gym teacher at the school. He's a few years older than me. We share the gym on the ground level of the school. It's easier for both of us. He also wears a baseball cap and a jacket with the school logo on it. He tells the kids to go get changed. They rush through the locker room doors.

"Hey, Tyler," Fredrick calls. "We're heading outside today, sound good?"

I nod. "Sure. Football?" He just grins in response.

The kids come back, lining up so we can take attendance and check off the people who don't have their gym clothes for the day. Once all the boring stuff is out of the way, Fredrick leads the kids through the double doors out toward the football field. I walk behind the class to make sure there aren't any stragglers.

"Alright!" I shout over the side conversations among the kids. "My class against Mr. Fredrick's class!"

Fredrick and I referee the game. The kids at this school are amazing athletes, aside from the group of girls who keep 'forgetting' to bring their gym clothes to change. They sit off to the side, on the bleachers with their bags. The entire period they gossip and giggle. Basically, they represent the group of girls that I always avoided when I was in school.

As I'm looking over at the clique, the ball comes flying toward them. A dark haired girl looks up in surprise at the sound of everyone's warning calls, but the ball comes flying so fast she barely has time to react. Small, pale hands dart in front of her face and grab the ball out of the air. My eyes widen at the lightning reflexes.

The blonde girl who caught the ball tosses it gently back to one of the players, acting like nothing ever happened. She returns to her book, plopping down on the bench. Her braids bounce with the movement.

"Lisa, are you alright?" Fredrick asks the dark haired girl. She's still a bit shaken, but she's fine physically. She nods quickly, blushing red and returning to her conversation with the others. Then Fredrick turns to the boy who had kicked the ball.

"Matthew, you've got a really powerful kick, but you need to keep it under control," he tells him, ruffling is hair. He blows his whistle three times, signaling that it's time to head back inside.

**~DW~**

Fortunately, the Doctor and I share a lunch period. I plop down in a seat next to him, biting into an apple. He picks at his food with a fork.

"How much longer are we going to be here?" I ask. "I mean, I'm kind of enjoying it, but some of these kids are really freaking annoying sometimes. Plus, I hate teaching the health class. It's just…awkward."

He looks up at me, smirking. "Thank Mickey for that, he brought us here." I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, for a good reason, too. The kids in my class are ridiculously talented. They have athletic skill no eleven year olds should have developed yet. This girl today caught a ball faster than I could blink."

"Same here. There's a boy in my class who's got knowledge way beyond planet Earth," the Doctor murmurs.

"Are you going to eat those chips?" I ask him. He offers his plate to me, and I grab one.

"They're different," he says.

"No school I ever went to had food like this," I say. The Doctor looks around the room.

"This place is well behaved," he points out. "Kids this age are never this well behaved."

"We just need to figure out why," I tell him.

"Hey, Tyler!" I hear. I turn around, yelling back across the room.

"What do you want, Fredrick?"

"Come here! I need your help setting up for next period!"

"Alright!" I call, tossing my apple into the nearest trash can. I turn to the Doctor with a smile. "See you at the end of the day." He nods, grinning back at me. I head across the room to Fredrick.

"What's going on?"

"We're going to try out basketball for the next class, and we need to set up cones for the drills," he explains. I nod. My stomach grumbles. I haven't eaten enough today.

"Let me just grab an apple from the kitchen," I tell him. "I'll meet you in the gym." He nods, walking off. I slip behind the counter in the kitchen, reaching for another apple out of the pile. The dinner ladies walk by me, rolling a barrel of oil across the floor. They all wear gloves, goggles, and safety masks. I make a note to mention it to the Doctor.

They wheel the barrel over a bump in the floor, and some oil splashes out onto one of the woman. She shrieks, clutching at her hand. The others quickly stop what they're doing and take her into the back office, pulling the shades down so I can't see what's happening.

On my way to the gym, my phone rings. It's Mickey.

"I've been trying to hack into the records…it turns out there was a massive UFO sighting about three months ago."

"That's when the kitchen staff was replaced," I murmur. "They're weird as hell, too. Wouldn't be surprised if they were aliens. The students might be, too. I've been thinking – they could even be experiments from the School."

"But what's the probability of all of them being in the same place at once?" Mickey asks.

"I know," I sigh. "It is possible though – just not very likely." I round the corner to the gym, saying goodbye to Mickey. Throughout the rest of the day, there's a lingering thought in the back of my mind.

_There could be other experiments here._

**~DW~**

The Doctor unlocks the door quickly with the sonic screwdriver. Mickey opens the door first, stepping inside. I go after him and the Doctor comes in last.

The school looks different at night. It's completely empty, and the silence occupies every inch of the building. Our footsteps echo softly, making us seem louder than we actually are.

"Oh, god, this feels wrong," Mickey moans. I shush him quickly.

"Just because we _think _there's no one here doesn't mean that it's true. And stop being such a sissy," I whisper.

"What, because you've done this before?" he whispers back, rolling his eyes sarcastically.

"Several times before, yeah," I tell him. Mickey pauses, absorbing the new information. The Doctor smiles proudly.

"All right, everyone knows their job? Rose?" the Doctor clarifies.

"I'm getting oil from the kitchen," I say, slipping a small vial out of my pocket.

"I'm checking out the Maths department to find out what's different about those new teachers," Mickey says.

"I'll be in Finch's office. We meet back here in ten minutes."

The Doctor heads down his hallway, I point Mickey in the right direction, and I turn around to walk to the kitchens. The room is eerily still without the usual humming vibration of the machinery. I let my eyes adjust to the darkness. There aren't any windows for the moonlight.

Once I locate the barrel of oil, I carefully remove the lid and spoon some into the vial. The liquid is the color of honey, and it looks sticky. I'm replacing the lid when I hear footsteps. I glance at the door quickly; to see if I can make it out in time, but it's too far away. I duck behind a big piece of equipment. A beam of light floods across the room. It passes by me without stopping, and I breathe a quiet sigh of relief. The footsteps continue across the room, and I can hear the door of the refrigerator being opened.

"Oh, leftover mystery meat!" says a male voice. A young, girly laugh follows. There's the sound of scraping utensils.

"Here you go. Looks like I'm having apples again," says the girl, sounding disgusted. "I'm starting to hate apples." There's a pause. "Is something wrong?"

"I smell something," says the voice, coming closer to me with the sound of footsteps. "Over here."

More footsteps follow, and the torch light comes back on. It blinds me, pointed right in my eyes. I make a groaning sound, rubbing my eyes.

"I knew it!"

"Who are you?" demands the girl voice. I can't see anything but the bright beam in my eyes.

"Can you turn that bloody thing off?" I complain. The voice gasps.

"Ms. Tyler?"

I let my eyes readjust, getting to my feet. My vision settles on the blonde girl from Fredrick's gym class. I recognize the bouncy braids. I had been watching her from a distance before, but now I can really look at her. And my heart stops.

Her hair is a perfect, natural shade of blonde. Her eyes are blue and bright. A dog with black, curly fur sits at her feet obediently. I shake my head, wondering if the light had rattled my brain. It couldn't possibly be them.

"It's you," I state. "Who else is here? The boy that I heard?"

"It's just me here," she says.

"Is that your dog?"

"Yes."

"What are you doing here?"

"What are _you _doing here?"

I narrow my eyes at her, but she only returns the favor.

"What's your name?"

"Angel," she tells me. "Angel Ride."

_Oh my god Angel Angel Angel_

I stare at her dumbly, trying to formulate a response. Subconsciously, I can feel her at the edge of my mind, trying to see what I'm thinking. I throw up walls, forcing her back, like the Doctor taught me to do.

"I can't read your mind," she says. "Why can't I read your mind? Who are you? Are you from the School? I'm not letting you take me back there!"

"I'm not taking you back to the School," I reassure her calmly. "Either of you, I promise. Please, Angel…"

"Stop it! Go away! Leave me alone!" she cries, stepping away from me quickly. Total looks at me from the ground curiously.

"Total…" I beg quietly, asking him to convince her, or even to believe me himself.

"Hold on, Angel," he says softly. "I know her. I've smelled her somewhere before."

"Total! I told you not to talk in front of other people!" she reprimands.

"Well, didn't I tell you it was rude to try to read minds without permission?" I point out.

I can see the recognition spark in her eyes, but she doesn't want to believe it. Total freezes where he is.

"No. Don't you _dare_," she hisses. "Don't you _dare_ pretend to be Max!"

"I'm not pretending, sweetie," I whisper, because that's all that will come out. Angel watches me silently, teeth clenched. She grips her torch so tightly her knuckles turn white, and her hands are shaking. There's a pang in my heart, and I reach out to comfort her, but she backs away from me.

"Total, please," I beg. "You _know_, you _know_ it's me, don't you?"

Slowly, he walks up to me, sniffing my feet. I kneel down, petting him behind the ears gently. He barks once happily, jumping into my arms and licking my face. I smile and laugh, hugging him.

"I missed you, you annoying know-it-all," I tell him. He growls playfully. I stand up, looking back at Angel. She stands closer now, a hopeful look on her face, as if she really can't believe it.

"Max?" she whispers, and a tear falls down her cheek. I nod, smiling and holding out my arms. She throws the torch to the ground, running up to me. She jumps up, throwing her arms around my neck. I swing her in a circle, burying my face in her hair. Her tears are hot and wet on my neck. I rub circles into her back, whispering to her.

"Hey, don't cry, sweetie. Please don't cry."

Angel lifts her head and pulls back to look at me. Her legs are wrapped around my waist. She beams at me.

"Max!"she exclaims. I grin at her.

"What are you doing here?"

"They sent me here, the people at the orphanage. I sneak out and sleep here most nights – the other kids are mean. We have to share beds. Plus, I can get more decent food here."

"Orphanage?" I ask.

"Yeah. I was on my own for a while, after the Flock split up when you were gone, but then someone found me and brought me there," she explains quickly.

"Gazzy?" I ask hopefully. She frowns, shaking her head sadly.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. We got separated, I haven't seen him since," she whispers.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," I say softly.

"Have you seen anyone else?" she asks.

"I…"

"Who?" she demands.

"Iggy."

She perks up. "How is he? Can I see him?"

"He's…he's dead. Iggy's dead, Angel."

She gasps. "Oh my god, _Iggy_…"

Before she even has time to start crying again, Total perks up at my feet.

"Did you hear that?" he asks, alarmed. "That screeching sound?"

"Where?" I ask immediately. He races off through the door I came in. I set Angel on the ground, grabbing her hand. We race off behind him. The sound of our footsteps fills the corridor.

We almost collide with the Doctor, who's running along with a woman I've never seen before.

"Did you hear that?" he asks excitedly.

"Who're you?" I ask the woman.

"Rose, Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane, Rose," the Doctor introduces quickly.

"I used to travel with the Doctor," she explains. I shake her hand, ignoring the slight pang of jealousy. I feel Angel behind me, grabbing my shirt. She leans to the side, peering at the two adults. Total stops, walking over to sit at my feet.

"Who's this?" the Doctor asks, smiling brightly at her. "A student wandering around at night?"

I beam down at Angel, putting an arm around her shoulder as I drag her in front of me.

"Doctor, this is Angel and Total," I say happily, motioning to the dog at my feet. The Doctor's eyes widen, asking silently if I mean _the _Angel. I nod.

"Hi," Total says, waving a paw. The Doctor looks mildly surprised and Sarah Jane stares.

Angel stares quietly at both of them. I yank on one of her braids.

"Ow!"

"What have I told you about the mind reading?"

She looks down at her feet. "Sorry."

"Mind reading?" the Doctor asks with surprise.

"Hello, we're investigating a strange noise here," Total reminds us.

"Right!" the Doctor exclaims, running off down the corridor again. Total scampers off after him and the rest of us follow.

We finally catch up to the Doctor when he races into one of the classrooms.

"Was that you?" he asks. I look over his shoulder to find Mickey standing in a closet.

"Oh my god, Mickey, I thought you were a little girl," I laugh. Angel giggles next to me.

"Sorry," he says sheepishly. "You told me to investigate…I got a little startled when these fell out of the cupboard."

"Ew," Total says, sniffing at one of the packets. "Vacuum packed rats?"

Angel makes a face. "Gross."

"And you decided to scream," the Doctor says, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, I'm seeing a little girl. Nine, maybe ten…pigtails, frilly skirt…"

I can't contain my laughter.

"Can everyone here be a bit more mature now?" Sarah Jane suggests. I frown. I feel Angel trying to get into my mind. I let her in.

_What's her problem?_

I smirk. Sarah Jane gives me a look, probably wondering what I'm smiling at.

"The rats are probably just used for dissections in a biology class," Sarah Jane suggests.

"For some reason, I'm thinking these aren't your usual circumstances, and there's going to be something bigger than that," I say.

"We don't even do dissections in biology," Angel pipes up.

"We should probably check out Finch's office," the Doctor says, walking out of the room. Sarah Jane follows him eagerly.

"God, she's like his bloody dog," Mickey notes.

Total coughs pointedly. "I resent that!"

"Shut your trap, Total," I say. "You know he wasn't talking about you."

"Whatever," he huffs, plodding out of the room. Angel grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together and swinging our hands back and forth with a smile on her face. She hugs my arm happily. I beam down at her, kissing her forehead and hugging her. Skipping happily, she pulls me out of the room.

"I'm sorry," Mickey says, and we turn around to look at him. "Did that dog just _talk_?"

**~DW~**

"Nope! I'm leaving!" Mickey whispers, throwing his arms up in the air and walking out of Mr. Finch's office. I gaze up at the ceiling.

"Are those…the teachers?" Angel asks softly.

"Yeah," I tell her, taking in the bat-like aliens hanging from the ceiling. "Isn't that lovely?" She backs out of the room slowly, Total on her heels. Sarah Jane has gone after Mickey. I motion for Angel to follow them.

"No," she insists, shaking her head. "I want to stay with you." I hesitate for a moment, but I sigh. She gives me a bright smile. The Doctor closes the door as quietly as possible. For a moment, I believe we're in the clear, but then there's a high pitched screeching sound from within the office. We share a crazed look before we run for it. The Doctor grabs my left hand and Angel grabs my right. Total bounds down the corridor in front of us, his ears and tail flapping behind him.

We rush outside to meet Mickey and Sarah Jane.

"Oh my god, those were my _teachers!_" Angel exclaims, laughing. "We always called them big fat bat people – but they really _are_."

"I need the TARDIS, to analyze that oil," the Doctor says, starting back inside.

"Hold on! I might have a safer option!" Sarah Jane beams. "I have something to show you!"

**~DW~**

The Doctor and Sarah Jane sit off to another table in the chip shop, trying to fix the old mechanical dog the Doctor used to have. I think she called it K9. Angel and I sit across from each other at a booth, and Total is curled up at my feet under the table. Mickey is at another table, on his laptop doing some research.

"I missed you, Angel," I tell her quietly. I give her a tiny smile. She grins back at me, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"I missed you more, Max. Really, I did. It was awful, after you left…I…" she trails off, staring at the table. Her smile disappears. "I'm so sorry. That we made you leave. I never forgave myself, for the longest time; I thought you were dead…"

"Hey," I cut her off gently. "Stop it, don't do this. I'm not mad at you, sweetie. You did the right thing, even though it was hard for you. I'm proud. Look at you now; you've turned out pretty great. You've done a good job taking care of yourself…you really didn't need me."

"I did though, Max," she insists, looking back up at me. Tears form in her eyes. "I did need you. I thought I was old enough and strong enough to take care of myself but I wasn't. I needed you. Telling you to go was the worst mistake of my life, and I am so sorry."

"Don't," I tell her softly, wiping away a stray tear that escapes her eye. She stands up, walking around the table to sit next to me. Her back is to me, and suddenly I'm overcome with emotion. I know exactly what she wants. I kiss her on the cheek.

"I'll be right back," I whisper. I walk over to the Doctor and Sarah Jane. The Doctor has left his coat draped over an extra chair. I reach into one of his never ending pockets to get the spare hairbrush I make him carry around. He doesn't even notice, completely absorbed with his project.

I return to Angel, who sat herself in a chair. Total sits on her lap and she strokes his fur. I undo her braids, running my fingers through her hair before combing through it. She sighs happily.

"I think this was one of the things I missed the most," she says.

"Me too," I tell her softly. It was our system for years – after a long day, I would comb through her hair, and sometimes braid it too. It calms down both of us.

"Why does the Doctor call you Rose?"

"I needed a change. It wasn't easy, at first – moving on. But I built a life. A woman took me in off the streets, her name is Jackie Tyler. I call her Mum now. Mickey was always there for me too," I recall fondly.

"Max?" Angel asks, hesitation in her tone.

"Is something wrong, Ange?"

"Well…no. It's just…I mean, I don't really have anybody…to call my mum," she stutters.

"Do you still want to…find your parents?" I ask. "If you do, I don't blame you. I'll help you in every way I can."

"No," she says quickly. She turns around in her chair, Total hopping down to the floor. I pause in my brushing midair.

"What is it?"

"You," she states. I stare at her blankly.

"Me what?"

"You raised me," she says shyly. "You're my mum. Can…can I call you that? Mum?"

Tears well up in my eyes. I smile at her, nodding. She leans up on her knees, throwing her arms around my neck. I hold her tight.

"Of course, Angel," I finally say, forming a response. "Of course I'll be your mum."

After a few moments, she pulls back, beaming. I smile right back at her. She hops down off her chair, skipping into the booth. I place the hairbrush on the table and sit across from her.

"Okay then, Mum," she says.

"What?" I ask suspiciously. She has a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"You love the Doctor," she states simply.

"What? No! We're just…" I begin, but she cuts me off.

"Don't give me the 'we're just really good friends' bullshit. I can see right through it," she interrupts.

A million responses to that run through my mind, from _Angel, watch your language! _to _Honestly, we're just friends, I promise._ All that comes out of my mouth is a small, confused sound.

"Hey!" the Doctor exclaims excitedly from the other side of the room. I glance over, glad to have an excuse to ignore Angel's question. She hops up, skipping over to the commotion. Mickey closes his laptop and heads over. I nudge Total with my foot before walking over.

"Master," says K9.

"He recognizes me!" the Doctor beams. Total hops up on a chair to get a better look at K9.

"That's nothing. I can form intelligent speech, too. And _I _have wings," he brags. I roll my eyes.

"Rose, can you hand me that oil from the kitchen?" the Doctor asks. I pull it out of my pocket and toss it to him. He smears it on K9's sensor.

"Confirmation analysis – substance is Krillitane oil.

"They're Krillitanes!" the Doctor says, shocked.

"Is that bad?" I ask.

"Very," he frowns. "Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad. They're a composite race. They conquer other races, and take aspects of their culture or form. They pick out the best parts of every race and make themselves stronger. That's why I didn't recognize them."

"Wait a minute – he's an alien?" Angel asks me, pointing at him with her thumb. I nod.

"What are they doing here?" Sarah Jane asks.

"They're at a school for a reason," I point out. "They're doing something to the kids."

**~DW~**

Sarah Jane and Mickey go to put K9 in the car. The Doctor walks out of the shop, and I follow, motioning for Angel and Total to come along.

"Go over with Mickey," I tell her quietly, following the Doctor a bit farther away.

"Why haven't you ever mentioned Sarah Jane before?" I ask him.

"Why does it matter?"

"Yes. It does."

"Why?"

"Fang abandoned me, Doctor. He just _left_ one day and I haven't seen him since. Being left behind is the _worst _feeling in the world and if that's what this is going to come to – if that's what _we _are going to come to – maybe it's best that I just go now and save myself the pain," I say angrily. He takes a step closer to me, his expression an equal mix of confusion, pain, and shock. He reaches his arm out, but I step back. I'm not going to keep this up. I learned my lesson years ago.

"Rose, I would _never_…I…"

"I guess…" I swallow. "I thought that maybe…just maybe…at least you'd remember me, once I was gone. That someone would remember me as more than just the weird girl with the wings. I expected you would at least _warn_ me, and say goodbye. Now, today, just finding out that you leave us behind…" I pause, taking a breath. "Is that what you're going to do to me?"

"Not to you," he says abruptly, turning to me with fierce eyes. I stare at him, my arms crossed.

"You were so close to Sarah Jane once," I say softly. "I've never even heard you mention her name before. Why?"

"I don't age," he says simply. "I regenerate. Humans decay. You wither and die. Imagine watching that happen to someone you –"

He cuts himself off, biting his tongue.

"Someone you what, Doctor?"

"You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That's the curse of the Time Lords."

His words are a heavy blow to the heart. I look away from him, toward the sky, just to avoid awkward eye contact. I see Mr. Finch and another Krillitane on the roof of the nearest building. It swoops down over our heads.

The Doctor runs after it, trying to get a better look. I know what he's thinking – with a better view, he might be able to tell what species it's made out of – we can know what we're fighting.

I spread my wings as I run along behind him, using Sarah Jane's car as a takeoff. I step on the closed trunk and the roof, jumping into the air for faster height.

"Max!" Total cries. "What's wrong with you?"

The Krillitane vanishes on me. I look around; spinning in a circle, but it's nowhere to be seen.

"Mum!" Angel gasps breathlessly, catching up. Total is right at her side. I turn in the direction of her far off voice. I didn't realize I had gone so far – I kicked into overdrive without even realizing. With once last glance through the night sky, I reluctantly make my way back toward Angel. I take the moment to examine Angel. Her wings are still perfectly white and fluffy. They've grown a bit longer, to adjust to her slightly taller frame. I smile, thinking about how beautiful she still is. I'm so proud of her.

"Did you get him?" she asks hopefully, once we're close enough to talk without shouting. I shake my head and she frowns. I brush her hair out of her face.

"It's alright," I sigh. "Let's get back to the others."

"I can't believe you made me fly up here for nothing. It's cold!" Total complains.

"Says the one with the fur," I scoff. "Deal with it; we're going back down anyway!" He silences immediately, flying at Angel's feet the rest of the way back. I take the lead a few feet in front of them.

I come to a gentle landing in the middle of the empty street. Mickey, Sarah Jane, and the Doctor stare. I hear Angel's feet hit the ground behind me, and Total's paws follow. I meet Mickey's gaze, because he's the easiest one out of my three options to look at. His eyes are wide, his mouth open, like he has something to say but can't find the words. I'm confused for a moment, until I realize: all this time I've been friends with Mickey, he's learned about the wings. He's seen them, and touched them – but he's never seen me fly.

Suddenly, the Doctor is crushing me in his arms. I make a small noise of surprise.

"Don't do that to me ever again," he breathes into my hair. "You could've gotten hurt; it could have _killed_ you, I…"

"Hey," I interrupt, bringing my arms around his waist to hug him back. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me; it's a waste of energy."

"You're not a waste of anything, Rose, and I don't want you to ever think that," he says. "You're so, so worth it. Worth everything."

"Thank you," I whisper.

"Come on, lovebirds, you can let go of each other now," Total mutters from behind us. Turning red, both of us pull away abruptly, starting to speak at the same time.

"We aren't…"

"No, we're not…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Angel says, rolling her eyes. "Whatever, Mum."

"Mum?" the Doctor cries. "You're not…?"

"No, no!" I say quickly. "Not like that. She didn't…come from me, you know? But I mean, I raised her, and everything. So I'm her 'mum'." I make air quotes.

"Oh," the Doctor sighs with relief. "That clears that up."

"Don't worry, Doctor," Angel smiles, a bit deviously. "I won't call you Dad until the two of you get married."

The Doctor's jaw drops, and his face turns even redder.

**~DW~**

"Okay, Rose and Sarah are going to the Maths room to hack into those computers. You might need this," the Doctor says, handing the sonic screwdriver to Sarah Jane. I frown. The Doctor always gives _me _the sonic screwdriver. I know it's a stupid thing to be mad about, but still…

_Don't be jealous, _Angel says in my head. I glare at her, blushing.

"Mickey, keep watch outside," the Doctor says. Sarah Jane tosses him her car keys.

"Keep K9 company," she smirks.

"Angel, keep an eye on your teachers today. Try to figure out which ones might be Krillitane, and it'd be nice if you could watch out for your classmates too."

Angel nods, running off to the building to get her things for class.

Total barks, scowling.

"Keep Mickey company," I tell him. He narrows his eyes at me, but he does what I tell him anyway. I smile. I really missed that dog.

**~DW~**

Sarah Jane inspects the sonic screwdriver. She's crouched under the computer desk, trying to turn it on. I lean against the wall, my arms crossed.

"Give it to me," I say, seeing that she's struggling. She hands it over reluctantly, standing up. I slide under the desk and get to work at the computer.

"Rose," Sarah Jane says after a moment, "can I give you a bit of advice?"

I pause, coming out from under the table to look at her.

"I have a feeling you're about to."

"I know how intense a relationship with the Doctor can be, and I don't want you to feel like I'm intruding…"

"I don't feel threatened by you, if that's what you're concerned about," I tell her.

"Good, because I'm not interested in picking up where we left off."

"I'm sure, with the big sad eyes and the robot dog last night," I mutter, going back to under the desk.

"I was just saying how hard it was to get back to life on Earth!"

"Space too much for you?" I remark.

"I had no problem with space. I've seen things you wouldn't believe!" she defends. I get out from under the desk again, standing up.

"Try me," I say coldly.

"Mummies."

"Ghosts."

"Robots."

"Slitheen, in Downing Street."

"Daleks!"

"I met the emperor."

"Anti-matter monsters."

"Gas mask zombies."

"Real living dinosaurs!"

"Real living werewolf!"

"The Loch Ness Monster!"

I pause. "…Seriously?" We stare at each other for a moment. Then we start to laugh.

"God, listen to us, arguing over the Doctor," she says, shaking her head. I sigh, brushing my hair out of my face. I sit on top of a desk.

"What are you thinking?" I ask her in a moment of silence. She looks at me thoughtfully.

"Are you human?" she asks. "I mean, I thought so, but after last night…"

"Yeah," I tell her. "I'm human…kind of. I'm a hybrid species, created by these scientists. They wanted to make a stronger, more efficient race of people. Not the nicest group in the world."

"I'm sorry," she says. I shake my head.

"Don't apologize; it's not your fault."

"Is that how you met him?"

"No," I laugh. "Which is the weird thing. I finally escape the drama of life on the run, and I fall right back in the trap. There's no getting out. The Doctor is…the Doctor. There aren't words."

She nods. Then I ask her a question. "Did he always used to explain things at a mile a minute and then look at you like you're drooling when you don't get it?"

"All the time!" she laughs. I join in.

"Does he still stroke bits of the TARDIS?" she makes out through laughter. I laugh even harder.

"Yes! I'm like, do you two want to be alone?"

The Doctor chooses that moment to walk into the room. The sight of him makes us laugh even harder.

"What's going on?" he asks, extremely confused. "I need to find out what's programmed inside these."

We take no notice of him, laughing hysterically. Sarah Jane leans on the desk, and I point the sonic screwdriver at him, my hand on my knee.

"Stop it!" he cries, genuinely confused.

An announcement comes over the speakers.

"All pupils inside to their class immediately. All members of the staff congregate in the staff room."

Students pour inside the room, but I shoo them off.

"This room's out of bounds! Go to the South Hall!" I shout over the chatting, standing on a chair. I wave Angel over to me. The Doctor shuts the door behind the kids. Then he hops under the computer. I toss the sonic screwdriver to him and he sets to work, ripping out wires.

"It's not working!" he mumbles.

"The sonic can open anything, though," Sarah Jane points out, worried.

"Except a deadlock seal. What are they teaching those kids?" the Doctor groans in frustration. "Angel? Do you have any idea?"

"I don't exactly pay much attention in class. The people at the orphanage make me come here," she says. "There's a program though, on the computer…"

"Brilliant!" he says, as Sarah Jane goes to turn one on. A code fills the screen, a jumbled mess off letters and numbers.

"No, no, they can't be!" he says, staring at the screen with wide eyes. "They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm – the universal theory. They crack that equation and they've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time and space and matter, yours to control."

"They're using the kids like a giant computer?" I ask.

"Yes, and their learning power is being accelerated by the oil. The oil from the kitchens, it's a conducting agent. Makes the kids cleverer," he deducts, pacing back and forth and running his hands through his hair madly.

"_I've _been eating those chips…what about me?"

"What's fifty nine times thirty five?"

"Two thousand and sixty five," I say, and then I clamp my hand over my mouth. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"Why can't they use adults? Why are they using children?" Angel asks.

"They need imagination to break the code," the Doctor explains. "They aren't using the kid's brains. They're using their souls."

I turn to Angel.

"I knew it. I always said it, didn't I? Teachers are evil. Don't do your schoolwork. I'm glad you were listening."

"Me too."

"Let the lesson begin," says Mr. Finch behind us. We turn to the door.

"Think of it, Doctor," he says slowly, approaching us. I take a hold of Angel's shoulder and step back quickly beside Sarah Jane. She reaches for my hand, squeezing it tightly. "Reality can become clay in our hands. We can shape and improve the universe."

"Call me old fashioned, but I like things as they are," the Doctor replies.

"The changes could be used for good," Finch says.

"Yeah, by you?" the Doctor scoffs.

"No, by you," Finch answers. The Doctor freezes where he is. Finch continues. "The Paradigm gives us power, but you could give us wisdom. Guide us in our actions – become a god, at my side. You could save so many civilizations, your own people, Doctor."

"Don't listen to him," Sarah Jane interrupts. I watch the Doctor carefully. He hasn't reacted to anything Finch has said yet. The principal turns to us.

"You could be with him, for all eternity. Young and fresh, never withering or aging, never dying," he says. He turns back to the Doctor. "Their lives are so fleeting now, but think, Doctor. What if you never had to say goodbye? You would never be lonely again. Join us."

The Doctor has a far away expression. His gaze passes quickly over Sarah Jane and Angel before meeting my own. I can see the temptation in his eyes, and I won't deny that I want it too. But I shake my head.

"I could save everyone…" he says.

"Yes," Finch says.

"I could stop the war…" the Doctor whispers, still looking at me. I smile at him sadly, shaking my head again.

"The universe needs to move forward," I say.

"Pain and loss," Sarah Jane adds, "they define us as much as happiness or love. Everything has it's time, and everything ends."

The Doctor breaks off his gaze with me, turning back to Finch. He grits his teeth, grabbing a chair and hurling it at the computer screen that displays the code. It smashes.

"Out!" he shouts. I push Angel forward and she runs to the door. Sarah Jane follows her out. I grab the Doctor's hand and we race away. We rush down the stairs, nearly colliding with Mickey and Fredrick.

"What's going on?" Mickey exclaims. Then he notices the Krillitane behind us, half flying, half running in our direction. He takes the lead, running down the corridor in the opposite direction. We run into the cafeteria. The Doctor pulls out his sonic screwdriver just as Filch bursts through the doors. The other Krillitanes follow.

"Are those the other teachers?" Fredrick asks, alarmed.

"Yeah," I tell him. "You okay?"

"Sure," he squeaks, clearly not okay at all.

"Leave the Doctor alive," Finch commands. "As for the others…feast away."

The Krillitanes dive down on us. I grab a chair, swinging it up in the air. It connects with a face, making a cracking sound, but it doesn't stop. Angel and the others duck out of the way. I rush to join them, seeing that the chair is doing me no good.

A beam of red light cuts across the room, hitting one of the Krillitanes. It falls to the ground, dead.

"K9!" Sarah Jane cries happily.

_Damn,_ I think. _The tin dog did _that?

"I suggest you engage running mode, mistress," K9 says.

The Doctor urges us on. "Come on! K9, hold them back!" He ushers us through the door one by one before slamming it behind himself and locking it with the sonic.

"Does anyone have a plan?" Mickey asks.

"The oil," the Doctor realizes. "They've changed their form so often; their own oil is toxic to them! How much was in the kitchens?"

"There's loads of it," Angel pipes up. "At least four barrels."

The Krillitanes bang against the door, ripping holes in it with their claws.

"Right, we need to get to the kitchens then," I say.

"Fredrick, you and Mickey get all the kids out of the school. Now, bats – how do we fight bats?"

Fredrick strides over to the fire alarm, smashing the protective cover with his elbow.

"Oh, you are a genius!" I tell him, grinning and shaking my head. The Krillitanes start to wail at the noise. When the Doctor opens the door, they're clutching at their heads in pain. We run past them, straight to the kitchens.

The alarm cuts off abruptly. K9 joins us as the Doctor is trying to open the barrels with his sonic.

"They're deadlock sealed!" he cries, frustrated. "Finch must've done that. I can't get them open!"

"The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser. But my batteries are failing," K9 says.

"Right everyone out the back door. K9, stay with me," the Doctor orders. I watch the others leave, gently pushing Angel out the door. She gives me an alarmed look.

"I'll be fine," I tell her. "Go with the others."

"Be careful," Total says. I nod.

The Doctor notices me standing there, and opens his mouth to protest. I hold my hand up.

"I'm not leaving."

He sighs, moving the barrels of oil within easy shot for K9. I help him.

"Capacity for only one shot, Master. For maximum impact, I must be directly by the vat."

"No!" the Doctor says. "You'll be trapped inside."

"That is correct."

"I can't let you do that."

"No alternative possible, Master."

The Doctor looks conflicted, not wanting to leave K9 behind, but realizing that it's the only option. I kneel in front of K9 next to him.

"You're a good dog, K9," I say softly. "Thank you for everything."

"It is my duty."

"Goodbye, old friend," the Doctor says, patting him on the head.

"Goodbye Master." He waggles his metal ears. The Doctor grabs my hand and we race outside, slamming the door and locking it.

"Where's K9?" Sarah Jane asks urgently. I place a hand on her arm.

"We need to run," the Doctor orders, grabbing her and pulling her along. I follow behind them.

We stop and turn around at the loud booming sound. The school exploded. The kids assembled outside all start cheering. I can't help the smirk that crosses my face. I never liked schools.

Fredrick gives me a high five. A young girl stares at us, wide eyed.

"Was it you? Did you blow up the school?"

Another boy hears. "Oh my god! It was Fredrick! I knew you were my favorite teacher for a reason!"

I shake my head, laughing as he gets pulled into the crowd. Angel races up to me, throwing her arms around my waist.

"We did it!" she cries happily. Total licks my ankle.

"Good job, Max," he says. I smile at him, kneeling down to ruffle his fur. Then I hear the sound of crying behind me. Sarah Jane sobs into the Doctor's jacket. He rubs her back comfortingly.

"Where's K9?" Angel asks.

"He's…." I start to talk, but I trail off, not wanting to finish. Angel realizes what I mean.

"Oh, no," she says softly. "Poor K9."

**~DW~**

We all head back to the TARDIS, with the exception of Fredrick. He stays behind to clean up the mess. He's being promoted to the head of the school, given that he is the only teacher left.

The Doctor had her parked in a park nearby the school. Angel raises her eyebrows.

"We're all going to fit in there?"

"You'd be surprised," I smile, opening the door. Total walks inside, then turns around and walks back out.

"What the hell?" he demands. I laugh. Angel pokes her head in the doors.

"Oh my god!"

I laugh harder, dragging them inside. The Doctor leads Sarah Jane in, shutting the door behind them. Mickey leans against the TARDIS console.

"You've redecorated!" she says.

"Do you like it?"

"I preferred it as it was…but this is nice. It'll do!"

"I love it," I cut in with a smile.

"Hey, you," Sarah Jane says. "What's forty seven times three hundred and sixty nine?"

"Like I have a clue. No more magic oil that makes me smart," I roll my eyes.

"Hey, you're still clever," she says. "More than a match for him." She nods her head at the Doctor. I grin.

"The both of us."

The room is silent for a moment. I turn to the Doctor.

"So, Doctor..?" I say, nudging him with my elbow.

"Well, we're going to take off soon…but, you could come with us," he offers. He turns to Angel and Total. "That goes for the two of you, as well."

Sarah Jane hesitates.

"I'm sorry. I can't do this anymore. Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead. It's time to find a life of my own," she says. The Doctor's smile fades slightly.

"I don't think this is for us, either," Angel cuts in. I turn to her in surprise, slightly hurt.

"I mean, I'm really happy for you Mum," she says. "This is where you belong. But I don't want to run anymore. I want to settle in one place and make friends, and…."

"Angel, it's okay," I tell her with a soft smile. "I've got just the place for you to stay."


	25. Making Arrangements

**A/N: This is a bit of a shorter filler chapter, but it sets the scene for the rest of the story and where everyone will be.**

**~DW~**

The Doctor bangs loudly on the front door to Mum's flat. Angel reaches out for my hand and Total sits at my feet. Mickey and Sarah Jane stray a few feet behind us.

Mum swings the door open with a smile, but it fades when she sees Angel.

"Oh my god!" she shrieks. "I can't believe the two of you! Exactly how long has it been since you came to visit?"

"What?" I ask, extremely confused at her outburst. The Doctor is even more so, his jaw practically on the floor. Total jumps up, cowering behind me. Angel clutches my hand tightly, her eyes widening as she takes a small step back.

I wince even before I hear Mum's hand connect with the Doctor's face.

"Ow!" he cries. "What was that for?"

"You get my daughter pregnant and bring her back however many years later with a child and I'm not supposed to slap you?" she fumes.

"No! No, Mum, you're all wrong!" I say once I realize. "This isn't…no! The Doctor and I would never do that!"

"Then where the hell did you get a little girl from?" she shrieks. "You can't take a child across the universe, getting into all sorts of trouble!"

"That's why we're _here_, Jackie," the Doctor says, rubbing his red cheek.

"Mum, just calm down. I'll explain everything, I promise," I tell her. She sighs.

"Fine, come in and take a seat. But if I slap him again, don't get angry with me."

**~DW~**

"Well?" Mum asks expectantly. The Doctor sits on the couch next to Mickey and Sarah Jane. Total lies down under the glass coffee table, keeping watchful eyes on her. I'm still standing in the middle of the room, holding Angel's hand. She's completely silent, her eyes on her shoes as if they're the most interesting thing in the world.

"This is Angel."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"You mean you don't remember?"

"Have I met you before?" she asks Angel. Angel shakes her head. Mum turns back to me.

"Does she talk?"

"Usually, yeah," I say. I reach out for her mentally.

_What's wrong, sweetie?_

_ What if she doesn't want me?_I roll my eyes.

"Mum, I've told you about the Flock, yeah?"

"Of course…oh!" she exclaims, her eyes widening once she realizes. "You're _Angel!_"

Angel looks up from the floor to meet Mum's eyes. She nods shyly.

"Yeah," she says quietly.

"Oh, you poor thing! Have you been on your own all this time?" Mum gushes, rushing over to hug her. I let go of Angel's hand and step away.

"No, I've had Total," she says, pointing at him under the table. He groans.

"That talking dog that Rose told me about? Is that you?" she asks, turning to him. "Come on out from under there, I don't bite!"

"But you do slap," the Doctor mutters. I shoot him a glare.

"Hello, Ms. Tyler," Total says, cautiously polite. I smirk at him.

"Oh my god, you _can_ talk! Isn't that something?"

"So, Mum," I interrupt. "Angel doesn't have anywhere to go. She's been living at an orphanage, and I don't want to send her back there, not if I have to. That goes for Total too. And I figured, if she could stay here, then you wouldn't have to be alone anymore while I was gone."

"Of course they can stay here!" she cries happily.

"Really? We can?" Angel asks hopefully.

"You're always welcome here!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Mickey get up and walk to the kitchen. The Doctor follows him, along with Sarah Jane, clearly done dealing with Mum already.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Tyler," Angel says gratefully.

"No, I won't have that. If I'm Mum to Rose, I'm Mum to you too," she says.

"Well, Mum…" I begin. "Now don't go off. Just listen to what I have to say before you freak out. _I'm _Mum to Angel." Before she can say anything, I continue quickly. "Not like, she actually came from me. I did raise her, though, and I was her…parental figure for years. She asked if she could call me her mum, and I said she could. So that makes you her grandmum, really."

"Well," Mum smiles. "I suppose that could do as well."

Angel lights up.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" she laughs. She throws her arms around Mum's neck. I join in.

Mum turns to Total. "Now, if you pee on my floor or…."

"Hey! I wouldn't do that!"

"He's housebroken, Mum," I tell her.

"Let's join the others in the kitchen," she says.

**~DW~**

"So, who exactly are you?" Mum asks Sarah Jane.

"My name is Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor," she replies, sticking out her hand. Mum shakes it.

"Oh, that's lovely! I bet you've got plenty of embarrassing stories to tell about this stick figure over here," Mum laughs, motioning toward the Doctor.

"Hey!"

"Don't worry; I'll come by one day when he isn't here. You'll laugh so hard you'll start crying!" Sarah Jane says quietly, laughing slightly.

"That'd be great!"

"I could bring my son Luke, too, and K9," Sarah Jane says. "You and Luke would get along very well, Angel."

"Hopefully Total and K9 could learn to get along, too. I'm so glad he's okay and we found him again. As for Luke, I'd love to meet him," she smiles. "I don't have very many friends to start."

"Well, you'd fit just fine in his little group…"

I smile, watching them. I lean back against the counter.

"They'll be great," Mickey says, coming up next to me.

"Yeah, they will," I agree. "Angel is finally getting a normal childhood. She's grown up so much since I last saw her…way too quickly. It's time for her to live the life she should've gotten in the first place."

"The one you're never going to have?" he asks softly. I give him a small, slow nod.

"Yeah. She deserves it."

"So, Rose, I was wondering…do you think if I asked, the Doctor would let me come with you?" he asks suddenly.

"Really? You want to come?" I ask, surprised. "I don't know. I'd love for you to join us, but in the end it's really his choice. It's his ship. Then again, maybe it would be the TARDIS's choice…"

Mickey stares at me blankly.

"Ask the Doctor," I tell him.

"Ask the Doctor what?" says the man in question.

"Can Mickey come with us?" I ask him.

"I don't see why not. Care to see a bit of the universe, Ricky the Idiot?"

"Great! Welcome aboard, Mickey!" I say.

"Thanks, Doctor," Mickey says, shaking his hand. The two of them start talking. I take in the scene.

Mum, Angel, Total, and Sarah Jane. Mickey and the Doctor. It feels like nothing can go wrong. Everyone is happy.

Hopefully it stays that way.

**~DW~**

**A/N: So, In case it wasn't clear, Angel and Total are staying with Jackie and Mickey is on the TARDIS. Sarah Jane will be more involved in the story than she is in the show, since she and Jackie are friends and the same will go for Luke and Angel.**


	26. Eighteenth Century France

**~DW~**

"Well? Where are we?" I ask from the console. Mickey has his head sticking out the TARDIS door.

"It's a spaceship!" he says excitedly. "My first go and we got a spaceship! Brilliant!" I head over to the door with him, swinging it wide open.

Stepping out, the ship is empty. There are no crew members or a captain to fly the thing. The room is dark, and the walls are made of some kind of metal.

"Looks abandoned," I announce. The Doctor steps out of the TARDIS, nodding in agreement.

"No, nothing here. Nothing dangerous. Well, not _that_ dangerous," he says. After a moment, he reconsiders. "You know what; I'll just have a quick scan…in case there's anything dangerous."

I smirk and watch him walk up to a control panel on the ship that stands in the middle of the room.

"So, how far into the future are we?" I ask.

"About three thousand years, give or take," he says, flicking a switch. The ceiling opens up to a spectacular view of the stars. Mickey gazes out of a window.

"It's wonderful, isn't it Mick?"

"Yeah! This is amazing!"

There's a clattering sound behind me and I turn around to see a few broken spaceship parts lying on the ground. The Doctor tosses another piece to the side.

"Lots of repair work going on," he notes. Then he notices a screen with a diagram of the ship. "That's odd…all the warp engines are going, full capacity. There's enough power in this ship to punch a hole in the universe, but we aren't moving."

"Where's all the power going, then?" Mickey asks, walking over.

"The real question is, where the hell did the crew go? You said there's repair work, so who's doing it?" I point out.

"There aren't any life readings on board," the Doctor says.

"It's not like they popped out for a space walk," I say, rolling my eyes.

"Do you smell that? Something's cooking," Mickey says, sniffing. The Doctor presses a button. A door slides open behind us. Through it, we have a view of a lit fireplace. The walls of the revealed room are painted, unlike the walls of the rest of the ship.

"Don't see that every day!" the Doctor says. "Eighteenth century, French…not a hologram." He scans it with the sonic. Then he walks up to it and kneels down, inspecting it more closely.

"Not even a reproduction; this is actually an eighteenth century French fireplace. Double sided, as well, there's another room through here."

"There's a window right there, though. It leads to outside!" I protest. I tap on the window.

"Hello!" the Doctor says. I turn around and stare at him.

"Who the hell are you talking to?"

Mickey shushes me. I can hear the voice of a little girl.

"Hello."

"What's your name?"

"Reinette."

"Reinette, that's a lovely name. Where are you, Reinette?"

"In my bedroom."

"Where do you live, Reinette?"

"Paris, of course!"

"Paris, right…"

"Monsieur, what are you doing in my fireplace?"

"Just…a routine fire check. What year is it?"

"Seventeen hundred twenty seven!"

"That'd be it for now. Thanks for your help. Good night!"

"Goodnight monsieur."

He stands back up. Mickey speaks first.

"I thought you said we were in the fifty first century?"

"Yes well, I did mention this ship had enough power to punch a universe. I found the hole. Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."

"Speak English."

"Actually, I made that up. I didn't want to say 'magic door'."

"So…through that fireplace is 1727 France?"

The Doctor nods, taking off his coat and tossing it aside. "She was speaking French."

"No, I heard her! She was speaking English!" Mickey exclaims

"The TARDIS translates foreign languages for you," I tell him.

The Doctor begins poking and prodding at the fireplace, occasionally scanning it with the sonic. He taps the side with his knee. The wall begins to rotate, taking the Doctor with it to the other side.

"Doctor!"

A moment later, the wall spins back around. The Doctor snatches a gun-looking thing from the wall, firing at a figure that came back with him. Almost immediately, it's frozen in place with ice.

"Is that an ice gun?" Mickey asks, excited. I take in the frozen figure as the Doctor tosses it to me. I grab it out of the air with ease, it's lighter than I expected.

The…thing is wearing a strange clown-like mask, and dressed in what I assume is the usual clothes from the time period on the other side of the fireplace. It's lacy and ruffled and everything I don't like. There's fake hair on the head, obviously a wig, like one a judge would wear in a cartoon or something.

"Actually, it's a fire extinguisher."

"Where did you find that thing?" I ask the Doctor, wondering how he could have possibly run into it in less than a second.

"Here, on the other side."

"Why is it dressed like that?" Mickey wonders aloud.

"So it can blend in. Bit of a trip to France," the Doctor explains. He steps closer to it, pulling off the wig. I realize it must be a robot or a droid when I see gears through a plastic, human head shaped…well, head. I edge closer. The Doctor puts his glasses on.

"Oh, you are beautiful," he gushes. "Space age clockwork, really, I've got chills! It would be an act of crime, vandalism to disassemble you…but that won't stop me." He pulls out the sonic screwdriver, about to push a button.

The droid creaks back to life and vanishes before our eyes. The Doctor shoves the sonic back into his pocket, walking right back to the fireplace. I follow close behind.

"Can't have gotten far, that's only short range teleport…"

"Are you going to explain to us what the hell it is?" I ask.

"Don't go looking for it!" he orders, pointing in my face. I smack his hand away.

"Where are you going?'

"Be back in a sec." He taps on the fireplace the same way he did before, and it turns around. I look down at the fire extinguisher still in my hands, locating the strap and pulling it over my shoulder. Then I turn to Mickey.

"Well, you coming?"

"He said not to look for it!"

"Yeah, he did." We stare at each other for a moment until he grins and grabs the other extinguisher off the wall.

"Now you're getting it!" I grin widely, leading the way out to the corridor.

**~DW~**

Mickey has a blast, really, walking through the corridors like he's a secret agent. He tip-toes down to the next corner, poking his head around the wall and brandishing his gun before declaring the coast is clear. Still, he rolls around the corner super-spy style anyway. I follow behind him, rolling my eyes and walking completely normally. When I turn the corner, Mickey is examining a security camera.

"What are you doing, Mick? That's a good way to get caught, that is, having a staring contest with the security camera. You aren't going to win."

"Actually…I might. It just blinked."

"I'm sorry…did you say the camera blinked?"

"Come look," he says, waving me over. I jog down the corridor to meet him. When I get closer, I can see that the camera lens is actually a human eye. I make a face, disgusted.

"That's an actual, human eye," Mickey states dumbly, like he can't quite believe it. He jumps back as the camera snaps back into an opening in the wall, closing off.

I scan the area for any other cameras, seeing none, but noticing a small door in the wall. Pressing my ear to it, I can hear a steady thumping sound, and I pray it's not what I think it is. I bend over, tugging on the handle, and it swings open easily. A human heart sits among masses of wires and pipes that attach it to the ship.

Mickey peers over my shoulder. "What is that, in the middle there?"

Disgusted, I close the door quietly. "That's a human heart, Mickey. Someone is wiring human parts into the ship. We have to tell the Doctor."

I straighten up quickly, adjusting the strap on the fire extinguisher gun.

"Don't freak, or anything, alright Mickey? Just keep an eye out for anything else weird."

"Are you sure that was a real heart?"

"I've seen more than my share of organs outside of their bodies – I know what a heart looks like."

"Is this like a normal day for you? Is that an average day thing to see?"

"Life with the Doctor, there are no average days. I don't see human hearts every day, no. But at the School, it would be weird to _not _see organs lying around on tables, or kept in boxes. I don't even want to think about what they did with them, whose they were."

This silences him, and we continue to walk. I push away the horrifying memories that threaten to surface.

We come to a stop at a new window with another view of France.

"That's France again," Mickey says.

"I think we're looking through a window."

Three men enter the room. Mickey scoffs.

"Look at that guy," he says, pointing to the tallest one. "Who does he think he is?"

"The King of France," the Doctor says, showing up behind us.

"What have you been doing?" I ask, looking at him.

"This and that. You know, became the imaginary friend of a future French aristocrat, picked a fight with a clockwork man…"

Down the corridor, I hear a whinnying noise.

"Oh, and I met a horse," the Doctor concludes. The white animal comes trotting into view.

"Where the hell did you find a horse on a spaceship?" Mickey asks, completely bewildered.

"Mickey, what's pre-Revolutionary France doing on a spaceship?" the Doctor retorts, mocking his tone. He rolls his eyes, shoving his hands into his pockets casually. "These widows are all over the ship, on every deck."

"They all lead to France? Like, you can just step into history?"

"Not just any history," the Doctor explains. He points to the glass at the woman who comes into view. "Only hers. The time windows are arranged along the life of a specific woman. The clockwork men on the spaceship are stalking her, basically."

"Who is she?" I ask, examining her. Her hair is perfectly done, a natural shade of blonde with curls that flow from her neat bun. She's practically drowning in her huge dress, which is covered in beads and lace to the point of looking like something Tinker Bell puked up.

"Jeanne – Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette. One of the most accomplished women who ever lived," he says, staring at her with a smile. I frown slightly. He usually only smiles at _me_ like that – with all his teeth showing and his eyes shining.

"So, she's going to be Queen?" Mickey asks, eyeing her.

"No, he's already got a Queen. She's going to be his mistress. I think this is the night they meet. In no time flat, she'll have herself established as his official mistress – even her own title, Madame de Pompadour," the Doctor explains.

Reinette comes to the mirror to examine herself, reaching up to brush her hair behind her ear and adjust her jewelry. She really is pretty; I can see why the Doctor and Mickey have got their eyes on her. But that doesn't mean I'm happy about it.

My ears pick up a ticking sound, and from the looks of it, Reinette can hear it too, turning around quickly.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asks, her voice shaking. I spot the figure in the corner of the room, facing the wall – one of the droids. Silence. She becomes louder. "Show yourself!"

The droid turns around, advancing on her. Immediately, the Doctor grabs Mickey's gun out of his hands and swings the mirror around, bringing us into France.

"Fireplace man!" she gasps with relief upon the sight of the Doctor. In a moment of clarity, I realize she's the young girl the Doctor was talking to through the fireplace earlier. The Doctor sprays the droid, freezing it in place and tossing the gun back to Mickey. The Doctor examines it from the front and me from the back. Then it starts clicking and whirring. I back away quickly.

"What's it doing?" Mickey asks, stepping back.

"Melting the ice, switching back on," the Doctor answers.

"Then what?"

"Then it kills everyone in the room."

The clockwork man shoots his arm out toward the Doctor's throat, but he jumps out of the way.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!"

The droid doesn't answer, just cocks its head to the side like it's annoyed.

_Robot's got an attitude, _I muse.

"Tell it to answer me," the Doctor tells Reinette.

I want to ask why the droid would listen to her, but I don't want to draw attention to myself. If it doesn't know I'm behind it, I can take it by surprise if need be.

"Why would it listen to me?" she asks.

"I don't know! It did when you were a child, it's worth a shot," the Doctor answers. Reinette nods slowly, composing herself.

"Answer his question," she orders. "Answer any and all questions put to you."

Slowly, the droid lowered its' arm and spoke mechanically.

"I am repair droid seven."

"What happened to the ship? There was a lot of damage?" the Doctor inquires.

"Ion storm, eighty two percent systems failure."

"That ship hasn't moved in over a year. What's taking you so long?"

"We did not have parts."

"Always comes down to that, doesn't it?" Mickey mutters.

"What's happened to the crew?" the Doctor continues.

"We did not have parts."

"There should have been fifty people on your ship, where did they go?"

"We did not have the parts," the droid repeats, and then I realize, horrified and disgusted. The eye in the security camera, the heart tangled among the wires in the wall…I take a deep breath, brushing my hair back and rubbing my forehead.

The Doctor is persistent, wanting answers. "Fifty people didn't just dissap…"

"Doctor," I interrupt. "They didn't have the parts."

"What are you talking about?" he asks again, frustrated.

"When you don't have parts, you use what you can find. The security camera on the spaceship was a human eye. There was a heart wired into the machinery. They used the crew," I explain, quiet and disgusted as I walk over to Mickey. No use in hiding from the droid now.

"Oh my god," Reinette says, placing a hand over her heart.

"Of course," the Doctor says, hitting himself on the forehead. "You were programmed to repair the ship in any way you can. No one told you the crew wasn't on the menu." He paused. "But why are you here? You've opened up the time windows, that takes a colossal amount of energy. Why come here, you could've gone to your repair yard? You choose to come to eighteenth century France."

"One more part is required." The droid turns its head toward Reinette. She steps back, looking sick.

"Why haven't you taken it?" I ask.

The droid turns to me. "She is incomplete."

"So you just keep opening up time windows, checking on her to see if she's ready?" the Doctor asks.

"Why her? You've got all of history to choose from, why specifically her?" I cut in abruptly before the droid can reply. _Why is she so special?_

The Doctor glances at me, eyebrows raised. I refuse to meet his gaze, staring at the clockwork man.

"We are the same."

"We are in no way the same!" Reinette cries.

"We are the same."

"Go away! Get out of here! Get out, this instant!" she says, hysterical and scared and angry all at once.

The droid activates a teleport, vanishing.

"It's back on the ship. Rose, take Arthur and Mickey, get after it. Don't approach it, just watch what it does," the Doctor tells me.

"Who the hell is Arthur?"

"Good name for a horse."

"You're not keeping the horse!" I say, giving him my best never-gonna-happen face.

"I let you keep Mickey!" he complains. I roll my eyes at him before looking to Mickey and nodding toward the mirror. We head back to the spaceship side of the mirror.

I stop for a moment and watch the Doctor and Reinette. He places his fingers on her forehead, closing his eyes. The only time I've ever seen him do that was with me. Yet he lays his eyes on Reinette and just…just…

"The Doctor, eh?" Mickey says, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"What are you on about?" I ask, pretending I don't know.

"Madame de Pompadour, Sarah Jane Smith, Cleopatra…" he rattles off, counting on his fingers.

"Shut it, Mickey," I tell him. "You're pissing me off." I drag my gaze from the mirror to meet Mickey's eyes. The clockwork man stands right behind him. My eyes widen slightly.

"Mick, stay calm. Don't freak out. The droid is right behind you," I warn him. It grabs him by the neck, and I reach for my gun, holding it up and ready to pull the trigger.

I feel cool metal around my neck a moment later, pulling me back roughly and snapping the strap of my gun. It clatters on the ground. I reach up, trying to break free of the droid's grip. Then I feel a sharp pain in my neck and everything goes dark.

**~DW~**

I wake up strapped to a cold metal table, tilted diagonally upwards. I strain against the cuffs that bind me to the table, but no luck. It's some kind of stronger metal I haven't encountered before. Turning my head to the side, I see Mickey strapped to an identical table. He stares at me, his eyes wide with fear. His gaze flickers down a bit, and I follow his eyes to a smaller table in front of us, with dissecting tools on it.

"They're gonna chop us up, just like the crew. They're gonna stick us all over their stupid spaceship, and where's the Doctor? It's been hours!"

My heart starts racing, pounding almost painfully in my chest. My hands start shaking and it felt like my lungs had shrunk to half their original size the amount of air I was getting.

_"Don't worry, Maximum," the whitecoat smiles, his eyes narrow as he approaches with a sparkling scalpel. "This will only hurt a lot."_

"No," I gasp aloud, screwing my eyes shut and struggling against my restraints. "No, don't touch me, please, please, don't hurt me.

"You are compatible," the droid says, shoving a sharp tool in front of my face. I shrink as far away from it as I can, terrified.

"No, don't touch me. Please, no," I beg. Then I hear a loud banding sound from behind me. The droid backs away, looking over my shoulder toward the noise. I breathe deep, closing my eyes.

"I could've danced all night, I could've danced all night…" comes the Doctor's voice, singing. He stumbles into the room, wearing a tie tied around his head and a pair of sunglasses. He dances with an imaginary partner, a glass of what looks like wine in hand. He stops once he sees me.

"Have you met the French?" he slurs. "My _god_ they know how to party."

I search for words, but find none, my throat dry and my heart still pounding. I'm not going to calm down until I've gotten out of these cuffs.

"Were the hell have you been?" Mickey cries.

"Oh, you sound just like Jackie," the Doctor complains. "I actually think I just invented the banana daiquiri a few centuries early. You know, they've never even seen a banana before!" He stumbles over to me, grinning like a maniac. "Always take a banana to a party, Rose. Bananas are good." He spins around happily, and then notices the droids for the first time.

"Oh, brilliant! It's you! You're my favorite, you know, the best! Do you know why? You're so thick. You're Mr. Thick Thick Thickity Thick Face from Thicktown, Thickania," the Doctor rambles, but then pauses. As an afterthought, he adds, "And so's your dad."

"Do you know what they were scanning Reinette's brain for? Her milometer. They want to know how old she is. This ship is thirty seven, and they think that when Reinette turns thirty seven, she'll be compatible. That's what your ship needs, isn't it? A brain, a command circuit. And for some godforsaken reason, only the brain of Madame de Pompadour will do."

"The brain is compatible."

"If you believe that, you'll probably drink this glass of wine," he says. He rips off the droid's mask and dumps the wine all over the circuitry. Then he puts back the mask and pats it on the head. The other droids from the corner start to advance, but the Doctor quickly shuts them down with the flick of a switch on the ship's controls. He points the sonic screwdriver in Mickey's general direction and he drops to the floor. Then he does the same for me.

My feet hit the ground, but I feel nauseous. I grab the metal table for support, sliding down it until I hit the floor. I lean my elbows on my knees and put my face in my hands, trying to compose myself. I feel Mickey's hand on my shoulder, jerking away involuntarily. The Doctor rushes around the room, shutting down the rest of the ship.

"Hey, you're alright," Mickey says quietly, reaching out again more hesitantly. I lean toward him as an invitation and he places a hand on my shoulder, rubbing my back gently. I nod brushing my hair out of my face and leaning my head back on the table. I give him a fake reassuring smile, which he accepts, turning back to the Doctor.

"So, are those things safe?"

"Yep, safe and thick, just the way I like them. Okay, I need to close down all the time windows…"

"Why didn't they just open a time window when she was thirty seven?" I ask, once I'm able to form a coherent sentence. It comes out shakier than I would like, but at least it comes out.

"The circuits aren't exactly working properly. They were lucky to get to the right century, and it was just trial and error after that," the Doctor answers distractedly. He smacks the computer. "Why aren't the windows closing?"

There's a loud pinging sound that reminds me of the noise Mum's phone makes when she's gotten an email.

"What was that?" Mickey asks.

"Um…an incoming message?" the Doctor says. "Report from the field…there's one still out there, with Reinette! I can't close the windows because it's overriding me!"

I reach out a hand to Mickey and he pulls me to my feet. I sway for a moment, but he holds on to me and keeps me standing until I get my balance.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," I say, rubbing my forehead to get rid of the sudden pounding. A whirring noise comes from behind me and I turn to look at the droids.

"Doctor…" I say slowly, not sure what's happening. There's a fountain of wine that spews from the robot. The other droids come to life around the room.

"Right, many things about this are not good," the Doctor states, more to himself than to anyone else. The pinging sound rings throughout the room again.

"She is complete. It begins," the droid says, and they all teleport out.

"They're going for Reinette," the Doctor says, running his hands through his hair and messing it up. He paces back and forth like he always does when he's thinking. Then he goes back to the computer, typing on a keyboard furiously.

"Rose, I need you to do something for me."

"What do you need, Doctor?"

"I need you to warn Reinette."

**~DW~**

My footsteps are silent as I approach Reinette. She gazes out of a window into the night sky, lost in thought.

"Madame de Pompadour," I interrupt quietly. She gasps, turning to face me quickly. "Please, don't scream. I haven't got much time."

"You are a friend of the Doctor's," she says, relieved.

"Yes. I've come to warn you that they'll be here in five years. The droids, I mean."

"Five years?" she repeats.

"Some time after your thirty seventh birthday. I can't give you an exact date, I'm sorry; it's a bit…random. But they are coming, and that's when it's going to happen. It's already happening, for us," I say. She looks a bit confused. "I'm sorry. The Doctor explains this better."

"Then be exact," she insists gently. "I will be attentive."

"There's no time."

"There's five years," she points out.

"You have five years, but I haven't even got five minutes," I tell her. "Time is complicated."

"Then also be concise," she says, taking a seat in the nearest chair, ready to listen.

"Okay, this will sound completely mental, but I swear to you, every word that comes out of my mouth is the truth. There's a…a sort of ship, it floats in the sky," I explain as quickly as I can. "There are doorways to…well, to different parts of your life."

"The days of my life are pressed together like chapters in a book, and he may step from one to the other while I must take the slower path?" she clarifies. I feel completely stupid. There's really no other word to describe it. I'm an idiot compared to her, no doubt about it. I feel like less of a person.

"He was right about you…" I start, but trail off, not wanting to finish.

"In five years these creatures will return. What can be done?"

"Keep them talking," I tell her. "They're programmed to respond to you, and even if you can't stop them, you can delay them until the Doctor gets there."

"He will be there, then?"

"He promises."

"He cannot make his promises in person?" she asks, a bit disappointed. I shake my head.

"He'll be there when you need him," I say softly. "He always is."

"That's how it has always been. The monsters and the Doctor. You cannot have one without the other," she sighs sadly.

"Tell me about it," I say. "The thing is, you weren't supposed to have either. Those creatures are messing with history. None of this was ever supposed to have happened to you."

"What does that mean?" she demands, suddenly angry. "It happened, child. And I would not have had it any other way. One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel."

I inhale sharply. I've never heard anything more true in my life, and it hurts. Everyone loves the Doctor, everyone always does, even Mum despite how much she pretends to hate him. They know he comes with baggage – he's dangerous, yeah. But he's worth it.

The thing is, I'm just like him. All my life, I have been. The School was always after me – they always will be. Someone will always be after me, and I put everyone around me in danger. But me – I'm _not_ worth it.

"Rose? Rose?"

I turn toward the sound of Mickey's voice. His head pokes through a tapestry. I jog over to him.

"We found the time window when she's thirty seven," he says quietly. I nod. He looks over my shoulder and I see Reinette a few feet behind me. She pushes past me, stepping right into the spaceship.

"No, Reinette…" I start, but it's too late. I rush into the ship behind her.

"This is his world," she states, evidently a bit scared. There's a muffled sound of screaming in the distance.

"What was that?" Reinette demands."Those screams, was that my future?"

"Yes," I admit softly. "I'm so, so, sorry."

"Then I must take the slower path," she says quietly.

"Come on, Rose, we need to go…there's a problem…" Mickey begins, but I hold up a hand, cutting him off.

"Give me a second. I'll meet you there." He nods, giving me an uneasy glance, but heads back toward the sounds of chaos anyway.

"Reinette, are…are you okay?"

"No," she whispers. "I am very afraid. But we both know it, don't we Rose? The Doctor is worth the monsters."

"Yes," I whisper back. "Yes, he is."

Without another word, Reinette steps back through the tapestry into her own time. I stare at it for a moment before tearing away my gaze, closing my eyes, and taking a deep breath. Then I head back to Mickey and the Doctor.

"Well? What's going on?" I ask loudly over the screaming as the Doctor scrambles around frantically.

"They knew I was coming, they blocked it off," the Doctor explains, rushed.

"How did they get there, then?"

"They teleported. As long as the ship is connected, the teleports will work."

"What about the TARDIS?" Mickey suggests.

"We can't use the TARDIS, we're part of events now," the Doctor says.

"Can we smash through it?"

"Hyperplex this side, plate glass on the other. We'd need a truck."

"We don't have a truck," Mickey says, confused.

"I know we don't have a truck!" the Doctor shouts, pulling at his hair again.

"Well, we've got to do something!" I shout back.

"No, smash the glass, smash the time window, there wouldn't be a way back," he says. But after a moment, he stops. He turns to Arthur in the corner, and glances at the time window.

A few moments later, the glass is smashed, in pieces flying across the floor. My heart breaks right along with it. He didn't even look at me – he didn't even say goodbye.

In less than a second, it sinks in and something inside of me snapped. Anger coursed through my entire body, and hot tears brimmed in my eyes, threatening to fall.

He _abandoned_ me, just like he promised he _never _would. And I actually believed him.

_Oh, I am such an idiot._

Time after time, it happens again. I learn to trust someone; I learn to believe in them, I learn to _love_ them. Yet in a millisecond they turn their backs and leave me behind without a second's thought.

I thought he was different, I honestly did. I let down my guard, I opened myself up to him – I let him see _everything_. The good, the bad, the broken, I laid my entire soul right out in front of him. He's seen into my mind, seen all my memories, my entire _life_. After all we've been through, this is what I get?

It's Fang all over again. Reinette is Bridget, so much smarter, and prettier, and mature, and wonderful, and _perfect_. And I'm just the walking freak show who gets ditched. At least Fang left because he thought he was doing what was best for me. The Doctor just tossed me aside the moment someone better came along.

And I decide right then and there: Never again. I am never, ever, _ever_ falling in love ever again. Being guarded, being closed off and safe is better than being open and hurting. When I trust people with my heart, they're careless. So what's left of it is mine now, and no one is ever taking it from me again.

"Rose?"

I turn my head slowly toward Mickey, fists clenched. He stands a foot or two away from me with a concerned expression. I don't let my emotions show through my own. When I speak, my voice is flat and forced.

"We wait for twelve hours," I tell him. It was a rule of the Flock in instances when we were separated. Give twelve hours, wait, and if they don't show up, they aren't going to show. I've grown to hate the twelve hour rule. I waited for Fang for twelve hours and he never came. The Doctor probably won't–

No. I'm not going to think about that.

"If he's not back by then to take us home, I'll find a way to get the TARDIS to take us there herself. He probably has some stupid Emergency Program set up already," I finish. I make my way to the other side of the room, leaning my back against the wall and sliding into a sitting position.

"What's wrong, Rose?" he asks, before pausing. "Never mind, that was a stupid question. I know what's wrong, I just…I've never seen you like this before. Never so…"

"I know, Mickey. Because I've changed," I say, my voice thick from the lump in my throat. "I've changed so much since Jackie took me in, since I met you. I've learned to trust people, and open myself up. You two taught me how to love in a way I had never been taught before. I was never like that, I was always closed off. I forgot why, until now."

"Why?" he whispers after a moment's hesitation.

"It hurts less that way," I say, picking up a shard of glass that landed on the floor next to me. I finger it absentmindedly. "I've been abandoned all my life, Mick. I trust all the wrong people and they turn around and stab me in the back. Jeb did it, Fang did it, and even Iggy, Angel and the others did it when they asked me to leave the Flock. But I understood, I forgave them. That doesn't mean it hurt any less, though. I thought the Doctor…or, at least I had _hoped_ he was different. I had hoped that he wouldn't do the same."

Mickey slides down next to me, taking the glass from my hands and tossing it across the room to lie with the rest.

"There's so much I don't know about you, Rose. You never really told me about your past," he says quietly. I meet his gaze.

"I guess I really haven't," I mumble. "Well, here we go. Twelve hours to kill. Listen up, Mick. I'm going to tell you my story."

**~DW~**

Five and a half hours later, Mickey and I have moved into the TARDIS to talk. We sit on the captain's chair, feet up on the console.

"So, you're telling me this Dylan kid _wanted _to go off to Germany to have kids with you?" Mickey laughs.

"Hey!" I say, in mock outrage. "I'm not _that _bad. Besides, you…"

I'm cut off abruptly by the TARDIS doors slamming open. The Doctor stands there, looking like an absolute madman with his hair in disarray and his eyes wide. Mickey and I stand up quickly. The Doctor beams, rushing over to hug me. He wraps his arms around me tightly, but I don't return the favor. He doesn't even notice.

"How long did you wait?" he asks into my hair.

"Five and a half hours," I say, somewhat coldly, but he couldn't tell because of the way my face was kind of being smothered in his jacket.

"Right, always wait five and a half hours!" he laughs, releasing me. He almost hugs Mickey, too, but settles on a handshake instead.

"I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere!" he says excitedly, rushing back out to the spaceship. I go to the door to watch what he's doing.

The Doctor goes straight to the other room, kneeling and speaking into the fireplace.

"Reinette? You there, Reinette?"

"No. There's no…he's…" I stutter.

"I'm sorry, Rose," Mickey says honestly.

I take a deep breath, turning away from the scene as the Doctor turns the wall back again to get Reinette.

"I don't even care. He can bring her if he wants, it's his decision. It's not like I'm going with him anymore anyway," I shrug, trying to not care.

"You're going home?" Mickey gasps. I stare at him.

"Did you think I wasn't going to?"

"Rose, you can't just…he made a mistake, I mean…"

"Mickey, this is my own choice to make, not yours!" I snap. He steps back, startled. I freeze, relaxing myself.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you," I tell him. "But I just…I can't do this anymore; I can't walk around every day and pretend like I'm not _dying _inside…" I flinch at the sound of my own voice cracking.

"It's time for me to go," I finish weakly.

**~DW~**

The Doctor returns shortly, closing the TARDIS doors quietly. His face is void of emotion, and Reinette is not with him. I understand immediately what happened. She's dead. He was too late.

He walks straight up to the console, tapping on the computer screen.

"Are you alright?" I ask slowly. He looks up at me.

"I'm always alright," he says with a false smile. I bite my lip and nod, turning down the corridor to my room.

Time to start packing.

**~DW~**

I zip up my stuffed duffel bag on my bed, which I've managed to squeeze all of my things into. I look around the room, knowing it's the last time I'm going to see it. The pictures are gone off the walls, the dresser wiped clean of my bits and pieces of things I've collected over my travels, and the bathroom emptied of my shampoo, toothbrush, and other things.

There's a knock on the door. I turn around, walking up to it, and open it enough so I can poke my head through. Mickey stands on the other side.

"If you go, I'm going with you," he says quietly. I nod, granting him a small, grateful smile.

"I'm already packed," I tell him. "I'm off to tell the Doctor to take us back, then. Get packing."

He nods, hugging me before heading off down the corridor. I go the opposite way, to the console room. The Doctor sits in the captain's chair, his feet up on the console like they always are. He rubs at his eyes tiredly. I realize it's the last time I'm ever going to see this.

I take a deep breath, walking past him silently and leaning on the console near his feet. His head is tilted toward the ceiling, his eyes closed.

"Doctor?"

"Yes, Rose?" he asks, not moving from the same position.

"Can you take me to Mum's?" I ask.

He drops his head to look at me, opening his eyes.

"We just visited your Mum! We've only been on this one trip!" he complains. I cross my arms and frown.

"Not a visit. Drop us off. Don't come back."

His entire body goes rigid. He stares at me, completely shocked.

"What?!"

"It's time for me to go home," I say.

He slides off the jump seat, standing in front of me.

"You are home!" he insists. "The TARDIS is your home, I…"

"It was, for a little while, but it's time for me to go," I tell him, a bit more forcefully this time.

"You…you can't just _leave_, I…"

"Doctor," I say loudly, and he falls silent immediately. He stares at me brokenly. I turn my head away, staring at the wall behind him.

"Why?" he whispers.

I meet his gaze again, tears filling my eyes that threaten to fall. "You told me you would never leave me. You told me you would never abandon me, that you would never let anyone hurt me." My voice rises slowly, getting louder. "When I was strapped to that bloody operating table and the droids were getting ready to chop me to pieces, I had a panic attack! Where were you? Not there! No, where were you? Off with the perfect little princess that is Madame de Pompadour! I get it, I do, I really, honestly do. She's so _smart_, and _beautiful_, and _accomplished_, and _perfect_. She's everything you could possibly want, and a much better option than I am! And if you're going to just ditch me the moment someone else better comes along, I'm leaving. Because I'm not going to sit here and wait around for you. Go on and live your life without me, find someone amazing who isn't a mutant _freak_ like I am. I've been left behind by so many people in my life, pushed away by everyone I cared about and I thought you were going to be different, but you weren't! The only people who actually, really care about me in the world live in the Powell Estate on planet Earth, so that's where I need to be. With the ones who are going to stick by me."

The Doctor stares at me, his jaw dropped. He's completely speechless.

"Just take me home," I tell him.

"Rose, I never…no, that's not it at _all_…" he insists, reaching out his arms.

"Don't." I step back futher from him.

"Please, Rose," he says desperately. "Just hear me out. Please. I never wanted to hurt you; I _never_ wanted to make you feel that way."

"You jumped right through that window, Doctor, with no way back. You just _left _us there."

"I'm so sorry, Rose, really, you have to believe me. It was the only way to save Reinette," he says. I huff at the sound of her name.

"And I don't know what you think happened between the two of us, but I can assure you it's not what you're thinking. Yes, Reinette loved me, but did I feel the same way? No. I just wanted to save her because that's what I always want to do – I want to save everyone. I never want anyone to have to suffer. I saw someone in danger, and I reacted, and I can't tell you how awful I felt afterwards. How much I regretted it, how much I hated the fact that I was that I was never going to see you again," he says.

"You were going to ask her to come with us."

"Yes, I was," he admits. "Do you know why? Because when I looked at her, I saw everything that reminded me of you. I saw that spark of curiosity, and that longing for adventure, and that amazing, impossible compassion for everything and everyone. And don't ever think for a second that you are less than her, because if anything, _she_ is less than y_ou_."

I just continue to stare at him, but I'm not as angry after hearing that.

"Do you really mean that?" I ask after a moment. He looks into my eyes.

"Yes, Rose. With all of my hearts."

I put a hand on my hip and brush my hair out of my face with the other, sighing. I turn my gaze to the floor.

"Please stay," he whispers. "Please, please don't leave. Don't go home. Give me another chance."

I look back up at him silently.

"Will you?" he asks. "Will you give me another chance?"

I hesitate for a moment, considering. Then I think:

_Out of all those people who have abandoned me, he's the only one that ever came back for me._

"Yes," I whisper. "I'll stay."

"Oh, thank Rassilon," he breathes, pulling me into a hug. I don't resist, but I don't return it either. I'm being careful, watching every step. If there's one thing about me, it's the fact that I'm not quick to forgive and I never forget.

We're starting all over again – from page one.

**~DW~**

**A/N: OKAY. I REALLY LIKED WRITING THIS CHAPTER. DON'T KILL ME FOR ALL THE ANGST PLEASE. :D**


	27. Parallel World

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, of followed this story! I can't believe how successful it's become – I sure wasn't expecting this when I first started writing. You guys are the best:) **

**~DW~**

I might have decided to forgive the Doctor, but it's not easy. For a while, I keep my distance. It's a difficult task – reaching out for him is involuntary, like breathing.

Running from evil bloodsucking aliens? Grab the Doctor's hand. Taking a casual walk? Grab the Doctor's hand. Standing around talking?

Grab the Doctor's hand.

Every day, I catch myself. I realize what I'm doing, remember what he did, and pull my hand back hastily and shove it in my pocket so it has nowhere to go. An hour later, I'm doing it again. The cycle continues.

After a week or two, I give in. I try to be madder at him than I actually am, but as time goes on, I become more comfortable with him again. Every passing day is another one that he stays with me.

Finally, I can believe him again when he says he's never going to leave.

**~DW~**

One day, we sit around, laughing and telling Mickey a story, when the Doctor notices he's got his finger pressing a button on the console.

"Um, what are you doing that for?"

"You told me to," Mickey replies, confused.

"Oh," the Doctor states. "When was that?"

"About a half an hour ago."

"Well, you can stop now."

Mickey scowls and removes his finger from the button. I smirk, sniggering.

"You forgot me!"

"No, no I didn't!" the Doctor insists. "I was…calibrating! I know exactly what I was doing!"

Right on cue, the TARDIS console explodes. Sparks and flames fly everywhere, and the ship starts rattling violently. We all fall to the ground. The Doctor gets to his knees immediately and approaches the console, frantically flicking switches and pressing buttons.

"Doctor, what the hell?" I shout over the rattling.

"The Time Vortex is gone!" he yells back. "That's impossible! It's just _gone_! Brace yourselves, we're going to crash!"

He makes his way back over to me on his hands and knees, clinging to the railing next to me. We huddle together, waiting for the impact.

_Crash!_ I'm thrown backwards, my back hitting the railing hard. All the lights in the TARDIS go out, leaving us trapped in complete darkness, but with my improved vision I'm able to see, though just barely.

"Is everyone alright?" comes the Doctor's voice from a few feet away. "Rose?"

"I'm here!" I call, reaching out my arm to him and grabbing the arm of his suit jacket. He pulls me over to him, hugging me quickly.

"Mickey?" he calls.

"I'm fine, I'm okay," he answers from the other side of the console. I pull myself to my feet slowly, my eyes on the TARDIS console. I rub the sore spot on my back absentmindedly. The Doctor watches her too, looking sadder than I've ever seen him. My heart sinks in my chest, and I know something is extremely wrong.

"She's dead," he whispers. "The TARDIS is dead." He walks slowly around the console, trailing his hands along the controls.

"You can fix her though, can't you?" Mickey asks.

"There's nothing to fix, she's perished," he says.

"Can we get help?" I ask desperately. The TARDIS can't be dead…she just can't be. I close my eyes and think really hard, trying to focus on the tiny prescence of the TARDIS that's usually in my mind. I can't feel a thing.

"There's no one to help us. We fell out of the vortex, we're nowhere. Through the void, into nothingness. The silent realm, the lost dimension…"

"Otherwise known as London," Mickey laughs from the door. I snap my gaze over to him before racing over to him. The Doctor is right on my tail as I step out the door.

"London, England, Earth…" Mickey says, picking up a newspaper, "February 1st, this year."

I'm doubtful, for some reason. Something about this place feels off. I spin in a circle, taking in my surroundings. Nothing looks exactly out of place at a glance. I turned my gaze to the sky. Zeppelins zipped around everywhere.

"You're absolutely sure this is your London, Mickey?" the Doctor says, noticing the same thing.

"Yep! Bang on," Mickey says confidently.

"That includes the zeppelins?"

"What the hell…?" Mickey breathes, looking up at the sky. "Okay…London with a big international zeppelin festival?"

"This is not your world," the Doctor says.

"What is it, then?" I ask.

"It's parallel, right?" Mickey asks. "Am I right? A parallel Earth where they've got zeppelins, yeah?"

"Must be," the Doctor answers.

Intrigued, I take a closer look around. Something catches my eye – a poster, and ad right in front of me. Pete Tyler smiles, holding a bottle of Vitex. I guess in this world he was a successful businessman. Mum always told me he was thinking up crazy things. I walk closer to it.

"A parallel world and he's still alive…"

"No, Rose, don't even think about it," the Doctor says sternly. "That's not your father; this is not your world."

"But," I protest, "he's my dad…and…he's a success! He was always planning those daft little schemes, Mum said, health food drinks and stuff. But he actually did it! I can meet him for real, this time! Without causing a paradox and everything!"

Suddenly, the Doctor grabs me by the shoulders and spins me around to look at him, bending down slightly to meet my gaze. When he speaks, there's a slight urgency to his tone.

"Rose, if you've ever trusted me, you'll listen to me now. Stop looking at it. Your father is dead. That is not your Pete. That is _a_ Pete. For all we know, he's got his own Jackie, his own Rose. His own daughter who is not you. You can't see him. Not ever," he tells me.

I nod reluctantly, but my curiosity is burning inside me. I want to know about Pete Tyler. Jackie Tyler, Rose Tyler – do they exist? Are they happy?

But what I want to know even more claws at the back of my mind…

_What about the School, the Flock? Do they exist? Does Maximum Ride exist?_

**~DW~**

The Doctor heads back to the TARDIS to see if he can do any repairs, do _anything_ to get us back home. After a few minutes, Mickey follows him in.

I naturally start to wander a bit, heading down to the Thames to take a walk. I note all the differences in this world – tiny, almost insignificant things, but enough to make me aware that I'm not where I'm meant to be.

I take a seat on an empty bench, watching the zeppelins fly through the sky. From what I've gathered, the things are like boats back in my universe. Some people have them, but most don't, especially if they can't afford it.

I'm drawn from my train of thought by my phone beeping. I pull it out of my pocket, confused. How the hell do I have a signal in a different _universe? _I mean, the Doctor said I wouldn't have to worry about connection, but this is pushing it a bit.

"Oh," I say to myself, rolling my eyes once I see.

_Welcome – Free Trial Period_

"Eh, what the hell?" I mutter. I click okay, and the latest news footage begins to play.

"And it's good news for Great Britain as Jeb Batchelder returns to the country of his birth. Mr. Batchelder, the inventor of high-content metal, has denied allegations of ill health."

_What the…_ I immediately pause the video. _Did he say Jeb Batchelder? _I rewind the video and play it again to be sure I'm not hearing things. There it is again, clear as a bell – Jeb Batchelder.

I quickly run through what I know now. One: Jeb exists in this universe. Two: he's important enough to be on the news.

I click play again, and the camera swaps to a clip of Jeb speaking in front of a crowd, standing at a pedestal. I inhale sharply at the sight of him – it's been so long since I've laid eyes on the man. His face is set and his eyes are dark. A banner with a familiar symbol hangs behind him. With a quick glance up at the zeppelins, I confirm that the logo is on the biggest one. Does that belong to Jeb? Is he up there?

"We're all flesh and blood, but the brain is what makes us human. And my mind is more creative than ever."

The words send chills down my spine. The words, the tone, the implications – it sounds exactly like something a whitecoat would say.

"With shares in Cybus Industries doubling in price, Mr. Batchelder…" continues the news reporter, but I exit out of the video. I don't want to know anymore.

_That's not Jeb_, I remind myself. _That's not him._

To distract myself, I decide to search up my name on the internet. I type in 'Rose Tyler' in the first search engine that comes up, click enter, and wait as it loads.

The phrase _NO RESULTS _flashes across the screen. I frown. How could I just…not exist?

I search up Pete Tyler's name, and tons of websites advertising Vitex come up. I scroll past them all and click on his biography.

_Peter Tyler lives in London, England, with his wife Jackie Tyler…_

No mention of me, at all. They don't have a daughter. I guess they don't need one, not if they have each other. Still, that doesn't make it hurt any less.

"There you are!" comes the Doctor's voice. "You all right? I fixed it! Twenty four hours, then we're flying back to reality!"

I don't meet his gaze; just stare out over the water. His voice falters as he sits down next to me, his grin fading.

"What is it?"

"My phone connected," I say shortly. "There's this Cybus Network, it finds your phone and gives you internet access."

"Whatever it says, Rose, it's not true," he tells me. "This is not your world."

"No, it's not. I don't even exist – no Rose Tyler. There's Pete and Jackie, they're still married. They live in a mansion, they're rich. Pete made tons off the Vitex Company," I summarize. I'm only telling him about Pete to avoid accidentally telling him about Jeb – and distract myself from the nagging feeling that's urging me to look up the School and the Flock. But it's true, a part of me hurts – Mum doesn't need me, not here.

"Give me that phone," the Doctor interrupts, trying to snatch it out of my hands. I pull it out of his reach, standing and walking up to the railing.

"They've got a house, and cars, and everything they could want, but they don't have me."

Turning around, I face him.

"I'm going to see him," I state.

"You can't!" the Doctor protests, as I start to walk away backwards.

"I just wanna see him!" I say. _It'll keep me from going after Jeb. Keep me from investigating the School, getting into trouble. _

"I can't let you!"

"You just said twenty four hours," I say angrily. "I can do what I want!"

"Mickey, tell her!" the Doctor cries behind me.

"Twenty four hours, yeah? Well, I can do what I want, too," Mickey says, starting to walk off in the other direction.

"I've got the address and everything," I tell the Doctor while he looks back and forth between the two of us.

"Stay where you are, both of you!" he demands. "Rose, come back here! Mickey, come back here right now!"

"I just wanna see him," I say softly.

"Yeah, I've got things to do and all," Mickey adds.

"Like what?" the Doctor cries, frustrated.

"Well, you don't know anything about me, do you? It's always about Rose. I'm just a spare part," Mickey retorts, turning on his heel and walking away.

"I'm sorry," I say one last time, turning my back to him and walking off.

A moment later, the Doctor is running to catch up with me, and I wonder where Mickey could be headed off to.

"Where's Mickey gone?" the Doctor asks, right on cue.

"I suppose he could be going to find his gran," I guess. "She died about five years ago – she brought him up, his parents were never around. She tripped and fell down the stairs."

"I never knew…"

"Yeah well, that's Mickey for you…." I begin, but I get cut off by a short alarm that sounds. I get ready to run for it, but everyone around us who was walking in the streets freezes where they are.

"What the hell?"

"I think it's the earpieces," the Doctor says, walking up to inspect a man. I join him, examining the silver pieces sticking out of his ears. They've got the Cybus Industries logo on them – the same logo I saw in Jeb's video. I hear my phone beep in my pocket, and pull it out.

"Doctor, it's on my phone," I tell him. "It's automatic, see? Daily downloads, it says. News, international news, sports, weather…"

"They get it downloaded right into their heads," he says to himself. "Everyone gets the same information."

I watch the scroll down list move to 'Joke' and everyone around us on the street laughs. Slightly startled, I look around at the people who continue on with their lives as though nothing happened.

"Wish I heard that joke…" I mumble, needing a good laugh. The Doctor takes my phone from me.

"Oh, look at that, Cybus Industries owns just about every company in Britain…including Vitex. Pete Tyler is very well connected…" he trails off. I slide my arm through his and give him my best puppy dog eyes and innocent smile.

"Oh, alright," he sighs, tossing my phone back to me. "Let's go see him."

**~DW~**

Not long later, the Doctor and I are crouched in bushes in front of the Tyler Mansion. People flood into the house steadily.

"February first, it's Mum's birthday," I realize. "They must be throwing a party."

"Come on. We need to get inside," the Doctor says, pulling out the psychic paper.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm dressed in a maid's uniform, holding a tray of refreshments. I growl at the Doctor under my breath, who stands a foot away from me in a tux holding another tray.

"We could've been _anyone_."

"At least we're in!"

"You're in charge of the psychic paper, we could've been guests! Sir Doctor, Dame Rose? We end up serving. I've had enough of serving snobby rich people, and I haven't even been here five minutes."

I shoot a fake, polite smile at the people who come to get food off my tray.

"The kitchen is where all the gossip is," the Doctor insists. "If you want to know what's up, work behind the scenes. According to Lucy, the chef, Jerome, is having an affair with a waitress, Harriet." I raise an unamused eyebrow, wanting him to get to the point. "And that man over there is President of Great Britain." He nods in the direction of a man in the corner.

"President? Not Prime Minister?"

"Apparently," he murmurs. I shrug. Pete and Mum must really be important if the President is at her birthday party.

The house gets quieter for a moment, and I follow the sound of the only voice I hear – Pete's. Entering the room, he stands halfway up the staircase in the main entrance to the house, with a crowd of people listening to him.

"Thank you all for coming, to celebrate this special occasion," he says. "My wife's thirty-ninth. Without further ado, here she is! My lovely wife, Jackie Tyler!"

Mum comes down the staircase, wearing a fancy dress and high heels, practically drowning in jewelry. I stare at her. She looks exactly like Mum – but she's not.

"Now, I'm not giving a speech," she tells the crowd. "That's what my parties are famous for! No work, no politics, just good mates having a good time! Get on with it, enjoy!"

She and Pete take hands and descend the bottom half of the stairs. The crowd cheers before getting back to their small talk.

"You can't stay, even if you could find some way to tell them," the Doctor says quietly.

"I know – I've got Mum at home, and Angel. I couldn't leave them, I just…" I trail off. "They're together. They've got each other. Mum has no one."

"She's got you. And Angel, too, now."

"Rose!" Mum calls, clapping her hands expectantly. I turn my head to look at her on instinct, almost believing for a moment that she's calling to me. But no, that would be too good to be true. A small dog trots up to her, wagging its tail happily and barking. My face falls, and I stare on.

"You have got to be kidding me," I mutter. The Doctor bursts out laughing until I smack him on the arm and shut him up.

"Sorry," he says sheepishly, completely not sorry at all.

**~DW~**

The Doctor goes off to find Pete's computer and hack into it for information. I hang around silently, smiling politely when people come to get champagne.

"I remember her twenty first," says a voice behind me. I turn to look at Pete quickly, startled. "Pint of cider in the George."

"Sorry, sir," I apologize. I hold up the tray a bit higher. "Champagne?"

"Oh, might as well," he says. "I'm paying for it!"

I smile and he laughs, sipping his drink.

"Big night for you," I say conversationally.

"Well, for her…still, she's happy."

"It's a great party."

"Do you think?"

I give him thumbs up. Licking my lips nervously, I ask him a question.

"How long have you two been married?"

"Twenty years," he says.

"No kids, or…?"

"No, we kept putting it off."

"Not too late, though."

"No, it is. I moved out last month. We're gonna keep it quiet, you know – it's bad for the business."

My smile fades. I hadn't even considered that possibility. It just never crossed my mind – whenever Mum told me about Dad, she was always so happy. It never seemed like they had problems so serious.

"Why am I telling you this?" Pete realizes. "I haven't met you before, have I? I dunno, you just seem sort of…right." Things gets silent and awkward fast. He turns to the nearest man he knows.

"Stevey, how's it going at Torchwood?"

I decide I need air, heading outside to the porch. Mum sits on a bench alone.

"Mrs. Tyler, is there anything I can get for you?"

"The last twenty years back?" she jokes weakly.

"I can manage some champagne or a cup of tea," I reply, smiling.

"Oh, that'd do me!"

"My Mum's the same, always needs that cup of tea before bed. Two sugars."

"I'm the same! Pete always says…well, never mind him."

"I was talking to him earlier. He's a nice bloke, better than most," I say lightly. "Worth a second chance."

Mum turns thunderously angry in a flash. "Did you just comment on my marriage? Who the hell do you think you are? You're nothing but staff, just a servant girl for god's sake! And you are certainly not getting paid! Don't you dare talk to me." She turns on her heel and storms back into the party.

I sigh, dropping the tray on the bench and leaning over the railing. A floodlight comes on suddenly, blinding my vision momentarily. I squint, trying to see what's happening. Long shadows cross the lawn, with a loud booming sound of many footsteps.

"Well, here comes trouble," I mutter to myself. "I was wondering what was taking so long." I turn and race back inside to find the Doctor.

We practically run into each other and rush to the window to look at the oncoming figures, shielding our eyes from the bright light.

"It's happening again," he says, his voice hushed.

"Again?"

"I've met them before," he says. I can finally make out the figure of a humanoid robot.

"What are they?"

"Cybermen."

They smash through the windows, and shattered glass flies everywhere. I take a step back, shielding my face with my arms. The Doctor pulls me further out of the way, grabbing me by the waist and pulling me into the crowd. The Cybermen circle around everyone in the room, trapping us inside. Everything is dead quiet. The President speaks into his earpiece.

"Mr. Batchelder."

_Oh god, Jeb….oh god, what did you do?_

"I forbade this."

"Are they robots?" I whisper to the Doctor.

"Worse than that," he replies.

"Who were those people?" the President demands. I inhale sharply.

"Those were people?" I ask, revolted. Why couldn't Jeb just get it right for once?

"Until they had all their humanity taken away. It's a human brain jammed inside a cybermatic body. Heart of steel – all emotions removed."

I swallow thickly. "Why?"

"Because it hurts."

"I demand to know, Batchelder, who were those people?" the President orders into his earpiece.

"We have been upgraded," states a Cyberman mechanically.

"Into what?" the Doctor cuts in.

"The next level of mankind. We are Human Point Two. Every citizen will receive a free upgrade. You will become like us."

"No," I whisper to myself, bringing my hands to my head. "No, every time…_every time…_"

_"You are the next level of mankind, Maximum. Human Point Two, upgraded. You're special, you're lucky," Jeb says, stroking my hair._

"He said the same thing to me. Why does he do this?" I ask angrily, pacing. "Why does he always do this?"

The Doctor turns to me, concerned.

"Rose? Rose, what are you talking about? What's the matter?"

"Jeb," I spit. "Jeb Batchelder. He did this to them. He upgraded humanity, even in this universe."

"Wait, that name sounds familiar…"

"I told you about him," I say, staring at the Cybermen in disgust. "He was a whitecoat. The one who helped us escape, the one who abandoned us…"

The Doctor's eyes widen as he realizes. My attention is dragged back to the President as he approaches the Cyberman that was speaking.

"I'm sorry," he says honestly. "I'm so sorry for what's been done to you. But listen to me. This experiment ends tonight."

"Upgrading is compulsory," says the Cyberman.

"And if I refuse?" the President retaliates. I speak up immediately.

"Don't," I tell him.

"What if I refuse?" the President repeats, not even acknowledging me.

"I'm telling you, don't do it!" I insist, stepping forward and raising my voice. The Doctor grabs my hand. I glance back at him to see a look of worry, concern, and warning on his face. He's faced these things before – they're clearly dangerous from the way he is reacting. With Jeb as their leader, it's probably even more so.

"Then you are not compatible," the Cyberman responds.

"What happens then?" the President asks.

"Please," I beg. "Don't do it. I know Jeb; I know how dangerous he can be."

The President glances at me sideways.

"And how does a servant girl like you know so much about Mr. Batchelder?"

I swallow, hesitating. "He's my father."

"That's all the more reason why I shouldn't trust you!"

The Doctor's hand tightens around mine and he pulls me back to him. I glance at him. His eyes are wide and confused.

"I'll explain, I promise," I whisper.

"What happens if I'm not compatible?" the President shouts at the Cyberman.

"You will be deleted," it answers, jerking its arm out and grabbing him by the neck. The blue electric shock is visible. He screams and falls to the ground, dead.

"No!" I cry.

The room erupts into chaos. People run, heading out of the building, searching for family members. A few are targeted and taken out by Cybermen. I stand still, unable to tear my eyes away until the Doctor pulls me by the arm out of a broken window and into the chilly night air.

"There's nothing we can do, Rose!" he shouts over the screaming as he drags me from the house.

"No! Pete and Mum are in there, I have to help them! There's got to be something! Do Cybermen have a weakness, or _anything? _I can fight them, I…" I protest, pulling away from his grasp.

"Rose!" he cries, grabbing me roughly and leading me away. With one last glance at the mansion, I stop resisting and run with him. We head up a hill, only to be met by another marching line of Cybermen. Turning around quickly, I spot Pete coming out of another broken window. I call him over quickly.

He leads us around the side of the house.

"Who are you two? How do you know so much?" he demands as we run.

"You'd never believe me…" the Doctor begins, but he cuts off as we run into yet another row of Cybermen. We back up again and I hear shouting behind me.

Mickey's voice comes out of the shadows. He comes into the light, holding a gun, and another guy stands next to him clutching an identical weapon. They let loose on the Cybermen, bullets flying at them. They stop marching.

"Oh, god, Mickey, where have you been?" I exclaim, relieved to see him. He turns to look at me, wide eyed.

"What the hell is going on?" he says angrily, pointing his gun at me.

"What? Mickey!" I gasp, stumbling backward.

"Rose!"

I turn my head in another direction, hearing Mickey's voice yet again. He approaches from the shadows.

"That's not me," he explains. "That's like…the other one."

_The Mickey from this universe._

"And why is he pointing a gun at me?" I ask shrilly.

"Because you're not me," says my voice. Yet another figure comes up from behind real-Mickey.

"Oh my god," I breathe. "You're…me."

"No," she says. "_You _are _me._"

It feels so strange, staring at myself. Seeing me the way I _used_ to be. Brown hair, with the natural blonde and red highlights and choppy haircut. No makeup on, unless you count a few smudges of dirt (life on the run doesn't exactly allow for looking good).

"Oh, as if things weren't bad enough," the Doctor complains. "Two Roses _and _two Mickeys?"

"It's Ricky," says not-Mickey.

"My name is Max," not-me snaps. "Not Rose."

"Maximum Ride," I agree, nodding quickly. "You're Maximum Ride."

"But you aren't," she says, stepping closer. "Yet you look like me. Are you my clone? Did Jeb make a clone?"

"No, I'm from a parallel universe. Jeb, he's your father, isn't he?" I ask.

"No!" Max hisses. "That asshole mad scientist will never be my father."

"I completely agree," I nod. "I hate his guts, I do. He completely ruined my life, but I can't deny it – I've got his genes. I came from him. And if I'm right, you did too."

"Why should I trust you?"

"I'm you. Really, I am."

"No, no you aren't. You have _no idea _what I've been through in my life. Everything Jeb has put me through…"

"But I do!" I interrupt. I spread my wings. Max's eyes widen and she steps back. "Did he do this to you? Did he?"

She nods silently.

"See, we aren't so different. We think the same, we act the same. We haven't had the exact same life, but overall they've kind of sucked. I know, I've been there. Living on the run isn't easy. I was lucky enough to find myself a family, a home. I'm sorry that you weren't. But I promise you, you can trust me. You have to trust me – you have to trust _yourself_."

"Okay," she agrees after a moment's hesitation.

"Um, yeah, hi," says the unnamed guy. "We kind of have a bigger issue to deal with at the current time. Cyber dudes? Or did everyone forget?" He points at the row of frozen Cybermen that seem to stare at us.

"Jake's right," Max says. "We need to focus." She grabs a concealed gun from her knee-high black boots.

"Bullets won't stop them," the Doctor says.

"And who's he?" Max asks, nodding her head in his direction, but her eyes are on me.

"The Doctor."

"Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor," I tell her. "He's…how do I put this in a way that sounds normal? I don't think I can. He's an alien. From a different planet and all. I travel with him."

"And how do you know so much about these things?" Max asks him.

"I've faced them before, back in our universe. I know how to handle them," he says.

"You're just going to trust him?" Ricky asks, disbelief seeping through his tone. "You're just going to go with this?"

"You clearly weren't keeping up. Get it through your thick head Ricky," Max says, glaring at him. She points at me. "That is me. I trust me, and therefore, I trust people I trust. She's trusting you – isn't that right? What was it, Rose?" I nod.

"Fine," Ricky mutters. Everyone turns to the Doctor, waiting for an order.

"We surrender! Hands up!" he announces, turning to the Cybermen. "We volunteer for the upgrade program. Take us to be processed."

"You are rogue elements," the Cyberman says.

"But we surrender!" the Doctor protests, extremely confused.

"You are incompatible."

"But this is a surrender!"

"You will be deleted."

"Listen to me," the Doctor shouts. "We're surrendering! We surrender!"

"You are inferior. Man will be reborn as Cybermen but you will perish with maximum deletion. Delete. Delete. Delete!"

**~ To be continued….~**


	28. Parallel World Part 2

**A/N: Thank you so much to all you reviewers, and followers, and favoriters! You really brighten my day, I can't thank you enough!**

**And, I need some help people. Doctor/Rose fic recs? Please?**

**~DW~**

As the Cyberman reaches out its arm toward the Doctor, he steps back and pulls something out of his pocket. He points it at the Cyberman, and a beam of golden light hits it and reflects off to all the others. In a moment, they are disintegrated into ash.

"What the hell was that?" Ricky cries.

"Not important right now! Run!" I yell. We take off through the woods, the Doctor to my right and Max to my left. Mickey, Ricky, Pete, and Jake are directly behind us. A van pulls up in front of us once we've cleared the trees and bushes.

"Everybody in!" shouts a familiar voice. My head snaps over to the driver's window, and I can see her clear is day. Before I even have time to say anything, the Doctor is shoving me through the open van doors. I pull my wings in quickly to account for the small space. I shake my head, clearing it, and hold out a hand to Mickey and Jake to help them inside. Max stands on the other side of the door, assisting Rickey and Pete. Then both of us grab one of the Doctor's arms and yank him inside, slamming the door quickly.

"Go, go, go," I shout. "My god, this is the slowest damn getaway I've ever been a part of. I'm ashamed!"

Ella slams down on the gas and we take off down the empty streets.

Once we've cleared a few miles, we take the speed back down to the limit. We all breathe a sigh of relief. I look around the car to make sure we have everybody. I sit on the very end of the seat, right behind Ella in the driver's seat. Ricky sits next to her. To my right are Max and Jake. Directly across from me are the Doctor, Pete, and Mickey.

"How the hell did you do that?" Jake asks the Doctor. The Doctor holds up the power cell from the TARDIS he had shown me earlier.

"Little bit of technology from my home," he says.

"It was glowing before," Mickey recalls. "Has it run out?"

The Doctor shoves it back in his coat pocket. "It's on a revitalizing loop. It'll charge back up in about four hours."

"Right. So we don't have a weapon anymore," Ricky mutters.

"Not for Cybermen. But we've got a few that'll work great against men like him," Jake says, glaring at Pete.

"Hey," I warn him. "Leave him be. What's he done wrong?"

"Only laid out a trap that's wiped out the government and left Jeb in charge," Max says sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Quick question, Rose," the Doctor interrupts. "While you were telling me everything, about the Flock, and Jeb, it just happened to _slip your mind_ to mention that he was your _father_? How does that even work, anyway? You said you were grown out of a test tube!"

"To answer that, A, I didn't tell you because it's not exactly a fact that I'm proud of, he's an ass and I like to pretend I never even knew him, and B, you're a smart guy. You need two ingredients to make a human baby, and they've got to come from _somewhere_," I say. "Now, back to the topic, I really don't think Pete would do something like that."

"Why would I leave my wife inside if I was part of all this?" Pete fumes.

"So your plan goes wrong. Still gives us the right to execute you, though," Ricky says.

"Talk about executions and you'll make me your enemy," the Doctor says. "Trust me – you really don't want to do that."

"All the same, we have evidence that Pete Tyler has been working for Jeb since 20.5," Jake adds.

"Is that true?" I ask him, strangely hurt. "How could you do that? After all the terrible things he's done?"

"Tell em, Ella," Ricky says, nudging her with his elbow. She bites her lip, hesitating.

"We've got a government mole that sends us information. We've got access to Jeb's private files, the South American operations…everything, really. Secret broadcasts twice a week. We used to get them from Mum, before…" she trails off. My heart sinks in my chest.

"He didn't," I whisper. "No, please tell me he didn't kill her."

"Dr. Martinez was a great lady," Jake sighs. "A terrible loss."

"Is she still alive for you?" Max asks me.

"I don't know," I answer, putting my face in my hands and rubbing my eyes tiredly. "I haven't seen her in years. But she was…not like your Mum, it sounds like, all…on your side. Last I saw her, she…she was like Jeb. She helped him with…"

"Stop it," Ella protests, cutting me off. "I don't want to hear any more. Please."

"I'm sorry, Ells," I say softly. The van is suddenly silent. I clear my throat and change the subject. "Well, where do you get the broadcasts from now?"

"Me," Pete says. Everyone turns to look at him. "Broadcasts from Gemini? That's _me._"

"You would say that," Ricky scoffs.

"Encrypted wavelength six five seven using binary nine," Pete states. I raise my eyebrows. "That's the only reason I ever worked for Batchelder – to get information. I thought I was broadcasting to Security Services, and what do I get? Scooby Doo and the gang! Even got the van to boot!"

"But Ricky says he's London's Most Wanted!" Mickey cries.

"Yeah…" Ricky says. Max starts laughing her head off next to me, and Ella joins right in.

"Oh my god," I smile, trying not to laugh myself without even knowing what's supposed to be funny. "Do I even want to know?"

"He's London's Most Wanted for _parking tickets_!" Max cackles, holding her sides. I burst into delirious laughter as well. Ricky tries to defend himself, and Mickey looks somewhat disappointed in his parallel self.

"They were deliberate! I was fighting the system! Park anywhere – that's me!"

"Good policy. I do much the same," the Doctor grins.

"Who are you, anyway? I met Mickey, but not the rest of you," Ella asks.

"I'm Rose, and this is the Doctor," I introduce. She smiles.

"Rose – that's a pretty name. I like it," she compliments. I smile.

"Thanks, Ells. I had you in mind when I chose it. You always told me you liked that name."

"Rose," Pete mutters. "That's my _dog's _name." He frowns. "Those things took my wife."

"Cybermen," the Doctor corrects. "And I would take off those ear pods if I were you." Pete takes them off and tosses them to the Doctor, who catches them and uses the sonic screwdriver to disable them.

"You never know," he explains. "Jeb could be listening. The thing is, he's really overdone it. He assassinated the President. All we really need to do is inform the authorities. I promise you – this ends tonight."

**~DW~**

Once Max and I have agreed we're far enough away from the mansion, Ella parks the van somewhere and we all get out. I adjust my maid's outfit with a scowl.

"Damn it – I wish I had my jeans," I mumble. Max overhears me.

"I have an extra," she says. "Do you want them?"

"That'd be great," I smile. She pulls a t-shirt and a pair of jeans out from under the car seat. "If there's anything else you need, it should be under there." I move to pull of the dress, but Max pauses and turns back to me.

"And I know your Doctor has a thing against guns – but do yourself a favor and grab one or two. A little extra protection won't hurt, especially when it comes to Jeb," she says, then pauses and shakes her head. "Why am I lecturing you? You know that as well as I do."

"Thanks, Max," I say, nodding. She jumps out of the van and closes the door, leaning on it as she waits.

I change quickly inside the empty van, pulling on one of her brown jackets and kicking off the uncomfortable shoes I had been wearing. The faded blue jeans are a perfect fit, comfortably worn in. I pull on a pair of boots identical to the black ones she'd been wearing and lace them up. Then, with a moment's hesitation, I take her advice, grabbing two guns and shoving them in the boots the way she had. Just in case, I also grab some extra ammo and zip it into the inside pockets of the jacket. Then I take an extra pocketknife and shove it in my jeans.

I catch a glance of myself in the rearview mirror and take a deep breath. I look like Maximum Ride again, I _feel_ like Maximum Ride again. Not the broken, angry, depressed Max that Jackie Tyler took in off the streets – the young, strong, determined Max who I used to be. The one who was almost happy.

I knock on the door to let Max know to get out of the way. She pulls the door open and I jump out of the van, stepping out of the way so she can close it. The others stand a few feet away, waiting for us. I catch Mickey's eye. He watches me with careful eyes. I fall back with him a foot or two away from the others as we start off, so we can talk.

"Is something wrong?" I ask him. "You seem a bit out of it, and you're looking at me weird."

"No," he says, shaking his head. "I just…you're acting differently than I've ever known you. This life…what they do, breaking the rules, running from the law – is that what you did before I knew you? Because you fit in. Everywhere else, you don't. I mean, it's not like you were an outsider, people liked you…but looking closer, something was always a little off. Something was missing. But it seems like you belong here, that's all."

I think about what he said and open my mouth to speak, but shut it immediately when I watch all the people on the street go rigid and turn to face the same direction. Max and I exchange glances when they start to march. The Doctor comes up next to me and speaks quietly, but still loud enough for everyone to hear.

"It's the ear pods. Jeb is taking control."

"Can't we just take them off?" Jake asks, walking up to one man and reaching toward his ear pods.

"Don't!" the Doctor warns. "Cause a brainstorm. Human Race – for such an intelligent lot, you aren't half susceptible. Give anyone a chance to take control and you submit. Sometimes I think you like it. Easy life."

"Hey!" comes a whisper-shout from behind us. Ricky is crouched at the corner of a building, peering around it. We all jog over to him, lining up to poke our heads around the corner.

On the next street over, a row of Cybermen march alongside the people who are being mind controlled by the ear pods. They all head in the same direction.

"Where are they going?" Mickey asks.

"Probably wherever the head of the operation is," the Doctor replies.

"Battersea," Pete informs us. "That's where he was building his prototypes."

"Why is he doing it?" Ella asks.

"He's dying," Pete says. "He's got cancer. This all started out as finding a way to keep his brain alive, at any cost."

"No," Max interrupts. "This all started twenty years ago, when I was made. When he used me for his stupid experiments and made me a freak."

Ella takes her hand, hugging her. I watch sadly as she wraps her arms around Max. I swear to myself the first thing I'll do if I ever see my Ella again is hug her.

"Doctor?" I ask, suddenly remembering something. "Didn't Van Statten have a Cyberman head at his museum?"

"There are Cybermen in our universe," he explains. "They started out on one planet and spread throughout the galaxy. This is a parallel version of that event, starting from the very beginning."

"Alright, we need to split up," Ricky says, tearing his gaze from the other street.

"You're right," I agree. "I'll take care of these guys. Ricky, you go left, Jake and Max can go right and distract them. We can meet at Bridge Street. Move."

Ricky, Max, and Jake nod affirmative. The Doctor looks at me with raised eyebrows.

"I've never seen you take charge like that before," he smirks. I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn to Mickey.

"I'm going with him," he says, nodding his head toward Ricky. I nod.

"Alright. Be careful." I hug him before he runs off after his parallel counterpart.

"This way," I say, racing down a side alley as the Cybermen begin to round the corner. "Crouch down! Quick, behind these!" I whisper-shout, pointing at the pile of dustbins and trash bags in the alley. I stand up straight, my back flat against the wall. Ella stands next to me, clutching my hand. I shoot her a reassuring smile. We crouch down quickly as the Cybermen march past us. I glance back at the Doctor and Pete to make sure they're okay. My eyes widen when I hear silence – the marching Cybermen have stopped. I whip my head back around at them, frozen in place. Ella squeezes my hand tighter, and I wrap my arm around her comfortingly.

Then I hear a small buzz come from the sonic screwdriver and the Cybermen continue their marching. I breathe a silent sigh of relief, relaxing slightly and smiling at the Doctor gratefully. Standing slowly, I press myself up against the cold wall again, poking my head around the corner to make sure they've all passed. The coast is clear.

"Go," I whisper to everyone, shoving Ella in the right direction gently. I usher Pete past me as well, and the Doctor grabs my hand as we run across the street.

We hide in another alley once we get to our meet up spot. I catch a glimpse of Max and Jake running in our direction. I whistle to catch their attention and they race over to us.

"We ran past the river," Max pants, slightly out of breath. "You should've seen it; the entire city is on watch. Hundreds of Cybermen, all down the Thames."

"Look!" Ella says, pointing. Either Mickey or Ricky – I can't tell which, they were wearing the same thing – comes bounding down the street toward us.

"Here he is!" Jake grins as Mickey/Ricky comes to a halt. Jake's brow furrows. "Wait, which one are you?"

With a closer look, I can tell that it's Mickey – his eyes are more open and honest, and his features aren't as tired – he hasn't been through the same horrors Ricky has. But more clearly radiated by his expression is the fact that something is wrong.

"I'm sorry," he says. "The Cybermen…he couldn't…"

"Are your Ricky?" Jake demands. "_Are you Ricky?_"

"Mickey?" I ask softly, just to be sure. He nods sadly. I run up to him and throw my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Are you okay?" I whisper in his ear.

"Yeah. At least, as okay as I can be," he answers. I pull back, turning to the others. Jake looks angry. The Doctor is silent, watching the scene carefully, but I can see the sorrow in his eyes. Tears stream down Ella's cheeks, and she clings to Max desperately. Max stares into space, expressionless, looking tired.

"He tried. He was running…" Mickey starts to say. "There was too many of them."

"Shut it," Jake says coldly.

"There was nothing I could do," Mickey says.

"I said shut it!" Jake snaps. "Don't even _talk_ about him! You're _nothing_ compared to him, you are!" He takes a deep breath, his eyes shining with tears. "Nothing."

"We can mourn him properly when we're all safe. But now, we need to move on," the Doctor cuts in. I nod miserably, my eyes on Max. I walk over to her and place a hand on her shoulder, knowing exactly how she feels. The churning despair and anger that comes with loss of a friend. She meets my eyes.

"I'm sorry," I say quietly. She shakes her head.

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault," she says, narrowing her eyes. "All of this, it's all Jeb. And I'm going to make him pay, if it's the last thing I ever do."

**~DW~**

"We've got to get across the river, into that building, and figure out how to shut the place down," the Doctor summarizes, pointing across the Thames to Battersea.

"And how exactly do we do that?" Mickey asks.

"Here," Ella says, sitting with her legs sticking out the side of the van. Max hops off the hood of the car; arms crossed, and sits next to her. Pete pokes his head over her shoulder from inside.

"I've got a 3D model of the old factory," she explains. "There's cooling tunnels underneath the plant, big enough to walk through…"

The Doctor examines the screen closely, pointing. "So, if we go in from underneath we can get up into the control centre?"

"There's another way in, through the front door," Pete suggests. We all stare at him.

"That's a great way to get killed," Max and I say at the same time. We glance at each other awkwardly, shaking our heads, but neither of us can help the tiny smile.

"We can't just go strolling up," Jake says from the driver's seat.

"Actually," Ella says, "we could. With these." She reaches into her bag and takes out a pair of ear pods. "They're fake, there's no signal transmitting to them. But they look exactly like the real thing, and the Cybermen would mistake you for one of the crowd."

"Then that's my job," Pete volunteers.

"You'd have to show no emotion. None at all. _Any_ sign of emotion would give you away," the Doctor stresses.

"Ells, how many of those do you have?" I ask.

"Just two."

"Alright then, that settles it. If that's the best way to find Jackie, I'm coming too," I decide. Pete stares at me.

"Why does she matter to _you_?" Pete asks.

"We haven't got a lot of time," I say, avoiding the question. "I'm going with you, and that's that."

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Max's eyes on me, wondering the same thing that Pete is.

"No stopping you is there?" the Doctor asks quietly. I shake my head firmly.

"Nope." He sighs, tossing me the ear pods.

"Okay, while you're doing that, we can take the ear pods out at the same time, and give people their minds back and get the chance to escape. Jakey-boy?" the Doctor asks. I raise my eyebrows at the nickname, smirking. Max snorts, and Ella bites her lip to hide her smile.

The Doctor sticks the sonic screwdriver in the air, scanning. Max beckons me over with her finger.

"I never did ask what the hell that thing was," she says, pointing to it.

"It's a sonic screwdriver. Long story," I sigh. She raises her eyebrows, but shrugs.

"Jeb is transmitting from that zeppelin over there, see? The big one? Good thing he likes to show off. Think you could take it out?" the Doctor asks.

"Done," Jake grins mischievously.

"Max and Ella, you can accompany me in the cooling tunnels," the Doctor finishes. "We attack on three sides, above, between, below. We get to the control centre, we stop the conversion machines."

"What about me?"

We all turn to face Mickey. I bite my lip, feeling a bit guilty about forgetting him.

"Alright then, I'll go with Jake," Mickey decides for himself.

"I don't need you, idiot," Jake scowls.

"I'm not an idiot!" Mickey explodes. "You got that? I'm offering to help."

"Whatever," Jake mutters, walking off. Giving me a quick hug, Mickey jogs off after him. I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly, turning to everyone else.

The Doctor envelops me in a hug, which I return wholeheartedly.

"Hey, I'm going to be fine," I tell him, pulling back and grinning. "I know what I'm doing." He grins back at me.

"I know, but I'm going to wish you good luck anyway."

I walk over to Max.

"Don't worry," she says. "I'll take care of him."

"Thank you," I nod with a small smile, beginning to walk off.

"Wait, Rose," she calls. I stop and turn back to her. She walks close to me again.

"What's your last name?" she asks. I nodded, knowing this question would've come at some point.

"Rose Tyler," I tell her. She nods slowly.

"That's what I thought. He's your dad, isn't he? In your universe?"

"He's dead," I reveal. "There was a car accident. I was living on the streets, Jackie took me in. She's the closest thing I've ever had to a mother. No – she _is_ my mother."

"You're lucky," she says softly. "Go on, now. Save your family."

"What's mine is yours," I remind her. She smiles halfheartedly.

**~DW~**

There are a ridiculous number of people flooding into the buildings. They walk heavily like zombies – which, in a way, they are. People walk inside, Cybermen walk out – the transformation happens through the doors.

"Chamber six now open for human upgrading," a Cyberman calls over the crowd. Pete and I are crouched around the corner of the building. He slips the fake pair of ear pods into my hands.

"Put these on," he whispers. "And remember – no emotions, no signs – nothing. Okay?"

"I'm not worried about _me._"

"We could die here," he says seriously, examining me. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm doing it for my Mum, to put it simply." Then I slip on the ear pods and we join the line of marching Londoners.

Everything inside the building is eerily quieter than it should be. There's the sound of pounding footsteps, and the occasional order or announcement from one of the Cybermen.

"Stop," a Cyberman orders. I see it's talking to Pete. He freezes in place.

"You are Peter Tyler. Confirm: you are Peter Tyler."

"Confirmed," Pete answers uncertainly.

"I recognize you," the Cyberman says robotically. "I went first. My name was Jacqueline Tyler."

"No," I breathe, so quietly I can barely hear myself.

"What?" Pete shouts. "No! You're not my Jackie! You're lying!"

"Pete!" I cry, unable to stop myself. If he gets caught, I get caught too.

"No. I am Cyberform. Once I was Jacqueline Tyler. Her brain is inside this body."

"This man worked with Cybus Industries to create our species. He will be rewarded by force. Take them to Cyber Control," the Cyberman that was once Jackie Tyler orders.

I don't bother trying to fight the Cyberman who grabs me with no weapon. I've got the guns in my boots, but I can't reach them. Besides, it's made of metal – it can't feel anything.

"They killed her," I say miserably, as it finally sinks in. In this universe, my mother is dead.

"Maybe there's still a chance," Pete says with desperate hope. "Maybe we can reverse it!'

"There's nothing we can do," I tell him.

"But…"

"Pete, I'm so sorry," I sigh. "There's nothing we can do."

"Wait!" commands another Cyberman voice. The Cyberman who has me by the arms ceases movement, as does the one who's got Pete. The Cyberman who spoke approaches us. It looks directly at me.

"I know this one. She is the daughter of Jeb Batchelder. Confirm: you are Maximum Ride."

I swallow, my eyes flicking to Pete for just a moment. "Yes," I reply. "I am Maximum Ride."

"You are a threat. You will be contained. Bring them directly to Jeb Batchelder."

"Shit," I mumble.

**~DW~**

The doors swing open, the Doctor and Ella being escorted into the room by a Cyberman. He looks me up and down as he's dragged over to Pete, and chained next to him near the computers. Ella is chained next to the Doctor, her face tear-streaked. Max isn't with them, and the only reason I would ever leave Ella to face Jeb alone was if…

_…if I was dead. No…oh, god, Max…_

"Oh, no, I've been captured! But don't worry; Rose and Pete are still out there. They can save me!" the Doctor mutters sarcastically.

"Ah, my lovely Cybermen have informed me that my daughter has come back to visit! And it appears that she's brought along a few friends!" Jeb smiles, walking into the room. He looks older than I've ever seen him, deeper wrinkles on his face and coldness in his eyes.

"Shut it, Jeb," I say, narrowing my eyes and tugging on the handcuffs that chain me to the wall. I reach into my back pocket, knowing Max would leave a bobby pin in there or something. I was right. I immediately set to work picking the lock, keeping Jeb distracted with the conversation.

"No, _you_ shut it Maximum," Jeb snarls. He steps closer menacingly, his eyes looking me up and down. "Why did you dye your hair? The color I gave you just wasn't good enough?"

"No, it came from you. Why the hell would I want something that came from you?" I ask.

"You should be thanking me!" he shouts. "I gave you your life!"

"Who ever said I wanted that?" I shout back.

"You ungrateful little shit," he growls. My head is snapped sideways as his hand meets my face. I close my eyes at the stinging sensation, biting my lip to keep from crying out. I'm not gonna let him win. Frustrated, I tug on the handcuffs again, trying to get the pin inside the lock.

"Don't you dare touch her!" the Doctor thunders across the room, tugging angrily at his own chains.

Jeb doesn't acknowledge him, just steps closer, staring me down. I stare right back, emotionless. I work up a mouthful of saliva and spit in his face.

"Ack!" he says disgustedly, stepping back and wiping his face off. I cock an eyebrow. The handcuffs come loose, but I hold onto them and wait for the right moment.

"Why are you so disgusted? After all, it came from you," I point out.

Jeb opens his mouth to retort, but is cut off by the sound of screaming.

"That'd be our friends at work," the Doctor says happily. "Point one for free will!"

Jeb turns to him. "I have factories waiting on every continent. If the ear pods have failed, humanity will be taken by force. I bring peace to the world, everlasting peace – and unity, and uniformity."

"And imagination?" the Doctor asks. "The one thing that led you here, you're killing it dead."

"Who the hell are you, anyway?" Jeb asks.

"I'm the Doctor."

"Cybermen never sicken. Doctors have no place in my world."

"That's my point!" the Doctor counters. "You're a clever man, Jeb, I'd call you a genius, but I'm in the room. Everything you've invented was created to fight your sickness. And that's brilliant – it's so _human_. But once you get rid of that sickness and mortality, what do you strive for? The Cybermen won't advance – they'll just stop, they'll stay like this forever. With metal men, a metal Earth, and metal thoughts. Without people – ordinary, stupid, brilliant people."

"You're so proud of your emotions," Jeb says.

"Oh, yes."

"Then tell me, Doctor – have you known grief? And rage? And pain?"

"Yes, yes I have."

"And they hurt?"

"Oh yes."

"I could set you free – wouldn't you want that? A life without pain?"

"You might as well kill me."

"Then I take that option," Jeb says.

"Don't you dare," I interrupt. Jeb swings back around toward me. "If you kill him, I'll kill you."

"You act like you have a way to do that, Maximum," Jeb smirks. "I have an _army_. An entire _species_ of my own. I created you, too – you belong to me."

"She will never belong to you," the Doctor says. "And you don't get it – that army is nothing. Those ordinary people to the most extraordinary things – they change the world. Some man or woman, some idiot…all it takes is for him to find the right numbers, the right codes. Say, for example, the code behind the emotional inhibitor. The code right in front of him. Cos' even an idiot knows how to use a computer these days."

Jeb stares at the Doctor, extremely confused. I have to say, I'm on the same page. I know he rambles all the time, but what the hell kind of time is it to go on about computer codes?

"He knows how to get past firewalls and passwords, how to find something encrypted in the Batchelder Family Database, under…what was it, Pete? Binary what?"

"Binary nine," Pete fills in. I cock an eyebrow, wondering what they're up to. Then I notice his gaze…right to the security camera.

_Mickey._

"An _idiot_ could find that code – the cancellation code. And he'd keep on typing, keep on fighting. Anything to save his friends."

"Your rambling is completely irrelevant," Jeb says. The Doctor grins.

"I just talk too much, that's my problem. Lucky I got you that cheap tariff, Max. For all our long chats, on your _phone_."

"Absolutely," I grin right back, ignoring the strange feeling I get from the Doctor calling me 'Max'.

"You will be deleted,' Jeb tells him.

"Yes, delete, control, hash, all those lovely buttons," the Doctor says cheerily. "And my particular favorite, _send_."

Just then, my phone beeps. I drop the handcuffs to the floor and pull it out of my pocket casually, looking at the new text from Mickey. A jumble of letters and numbers fill the screen – a code. Jeb's eyes widen in anger and he reaches out to grab me.

"I think not!" I smirk, ducking away from his reach and kicking him in the stomach so he falls to the ground. While he's down, I rush over to the Doctor, taking the sonic out of his pocket and freeing him from his own chains.

"It's for you," I grin, tossing him my phone. I set to work freeing Pete and Ella.

"Let's not forget how you seduced all those ordinary people in the first place," the Doctor says. "By making every bit of technology compatible with everything else, like this."

He shoves my phone into a port on one of the computers. The code starts flashing across every computer screen. The Cybermen in the room clutch their heads, falling to the ground and crying out. The Doctor looks around sadly at all of them.

"I'm sorry," he says softly.

"What have you done?" Jeb shouts furiously, standing up.

"I gave them back their souls. They can see what you've done, Jeb, and it's killing them," the Doctor responds. He takes my hand, yanking my phone out of the computer.

"Run!" he shouts to Pete and Ella. We race out of the room, maneuvering around Cybermen. Small explosions seem to be coming from every direction. Then I hear my phone ringing. The Doctor takes it out of his pocket.

"Hello?" he shouts casually. I roll my eyes. "Mickey says head for the roof!"

With a quick scan of the room, I locate a staircase and rush up the flights of stairs, with Ella, Pete and the Doctor close on my tail. When we reach the roof, I'm met with the sight of a zeppelin hovering low near the roof. A rope ladder drops from an opening in the bottom of it.

"Quick, everyone, go, go, go!" I shout, ushering Ella and Pete up the ladder. I push the Doctor toward it. He hops on, and I follow right behind him. Mickey takes off, rising away from the exploding factory.

"Everybody up!" the Doctor says. Ella and Pete start climbing the ladder and he follows behind closely. Ella screams as the rope is jerked downward. Slightly startled, I tighten my grip. I look down to see Jeb clinging to the bottom of it, close behind me. He climbs closer.

"Damn it, Jeb!" I shout. He says nothing. Holding on with one hand, I grab Max's pocketknife out of my jeans and start sawing at the rope below me. I finally get it to snap, but Jeb grabs onto my ankle. The rest of the rope ladder falls away, but he clings to my leg. I look back up at the Doctor, who watches with wide eyes.

"Hold on, Rose! Just until we land!" he cries.

I look back down at Jeb, taking in the burning building below us. I recall what Max said earlier.

_"And I'm going to make him pay, if it's the last thing I ever do."_

"This is for you, Max," I whisper, and I let go of the ladder. Jeb screams, letting go of me in surprise. We tumble through the air. Quickly, I spread my wings and catch myself on a gust of wind that brings me further up. I watch Jeb fall into the flames below with a twinge of guilt. Then I look back at the zeppelin hovering above me, and I fly after it.

**~DW~**

The next morning, we make our way back to the TARDIS. The Doctor heads directly inside to power her up. I sit on a nearby bench with Ella and Pete. Jake and Mickey had gone back to the mansion to find the Doctor his suit he left there, and my clothes.

"Are you sure you have to leave?" Ella says sadly.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, hugging her close to me. "But I'm not her – not exactly, anyway. I could never be what you want me to." The Doctor confirmed my assumptions once we were safe from the Cybermen. Max was killed by a Cyberman, protecting Ella. It's so strange, grieving for myself. It's like I've lost a part of me.

"You're not exactly her, but you still are. You'll always be Maximum Ride," she mumbles into my jacket.

"I know. Hopefully I can live up to that name."

"What's inside that box?" Pete asks, trying to change the subject.

"Do you wanna see?"

"No," he says quickly. "I don't think so. But you two, all that stuff about different worlds…who are you?"

"I never told you my last name," I tell him.

"So?"

"Rose Tyler."

"You're…" his eyes widen once he realizes. "I…I've got to go. Someone's got to tell the authorities what's happened. Thank you for everything."

I nod, watching him walk off. Then I stand with a sigh. Ella takes my hand, pointing toward Mickey and Jake as they approach. The Doctor steps out of the TARDIS.

"Did you find it?" he asks Mickey. Mickey holds up his suit.

"My suit!" he exclaims happily. "Good man! Now then, we've got to run."

"Take care of her," I tell Jake, pointing to Ella.

"You have my word," he says with a salute. I shake his hand and give Ella one last hug.

"I love you, Ella," I whisper.

"I love you too."

"Off we go, then!" the Doctor proclaims.

"Uh…" Mickey says awkwardly. "The thing is, I'm staying." My jaw drops.

"What?" I gasp. "Why? You can't…"

"It sort of balances out, doesn't it? Cos' this world lost its Ricky, but there's still me. And there's work to be done with all those Cybermen still out there. And Rose, my gran's here. She's still alive, do you remember her?"

"Yeah," I say weakly, tears starting to build up.

"She _needs_ me."

"But what if I need you, Mick? You're my best friend, I…"

"The thing is, Rose, you don't. I'll always be your best friend, don't get me wrong. I love you, and I'm never going to forget you. But you don't need me anymore. You've got him," Mickey says, nodding toward the Doctor with a sad smile. I throw my arms around him.

"I love you too," I whisper in his ear. "Thank you. Thank you so much for everything you've ever done for me. You saved my life, Mickey. I can't ever thank you enough."

"You'll be okay," he promises. "The Doctor in the TARDIS with Rose Tyler, just as it should be."

**~DW~**

I open the TARDIS doors slowly, frowning. Mum, Angel, and Total are there waiting, with excited smiles that quickly fade. I immediately throw my arms around Mum.

"You're alive," I whisper. "You're alive."

"Of course I am," she says. "At least, last time I checked." I don't say anything; just tighten my hold on her. I've always been grateful for her, and everything she has done for me, but seeing a world where she's dead just amplifies those feelings even more. Angel tugs on my shirt, dragging me from my thoughts.

"Mum? What's wrong?" she asks. I pull away from Mum to scoop her up in my arms. She slides her arms around my neck. "Where is Uncle Mickey?"

"He's gone," I choke out through the lump in my throat. Angel gasps sadly, and I can feel her hot stream of tears on my neck. I rub her back comfortingly. "He's far, far away. He's happy and safe where he is, but we can never see him again. I'm so sorry, sweetie."

"He's not dead, is he?" Total asks. "You would have just said so, but you didn't. So he's at least still alive?"

I look down at him over Angel's shoulder, opening my mouth to speak, but the Doctor beats me to it.

"No, he isn't dead. He's so alive."

"He told me to tell all of you that he's sorry. He made his choice to go, but he will always love you and never forget you," I say hoarsely.

"You said he's happy?" Mum asks softly. I nod, stroking Angel's hair. The Doctor places his hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. He holds out his arms. I kiss Angel's forehead and hand her over to the Doctor. She buries her head in his neck, hugging him tightly. A tiny smile crosses my face.

Mickey's gone, but we'll be okay. We're always okay, in the end.


	29. The Wire

**~DW~**

We spend a week or so in the flat with Mum. I take a trip with her to clean out Mickey's flat and tell his parents what happened. It was a huge sob fest, and I wanted to just disappear. The rest of the time was spent with Angel, Total, Mum, and the Doctor – to the movies, or out shopping, or staying in and relaxing. But after a while I can tell the Doctor is getting antsy, and decide it's time to go.

"Can I Mum? Please, can I? Just one trip!" Angel begs. I look down at her puppy dog face with a sigh, then turn to the Doctor, who shrugs.

"I don't mind," he grins. I smile.

"Well, I guess…just one!"

"Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cries happily, hugging me quickly. Then she throws her arms around the Doctor, who looks slightly surprised. He laughs.

"Do you want to come too, Total?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"I'll sit this one out. But you guys have fun," he says.

"I just hope Jackie doesn't kill me for taking you along," the Doctor mutters. I bite my lip in an attempt to hide my smile.

"Where can we go? Where can we go?" Angel asks excitedly, jumping up and down.

"I was thinking we went to see Elvis, actually."

"No way!" Angel says. "Really? Elvis Presley?"

"Sounds good to me," I shrug with a grin. "Let me get my stuff."

The Doctor grins, nodding, holding out a hand to Angel. She takes it with a bright smile and skips along next to him out the front door to the TARDIS (Mum wouldn't let him keep her in the living room – "Get this alien nonsense out of here!").

"Mum, we're headed back off," I call into her room as I walk past to my own. She rushes to the door, dressed in a bathrobe and her makeup half done.

"What, not even going to hug your mother before you leave?"

"Of course I am! I need to get my things, first," I laugh, rolling my eyes. "By the way, we're taking Angel for a trip. Going to see Elvis."

"What?" Mum shrieks. "Rose, you had better not get into any trouble while she's with you – you and the Doctor can do whatever you want on your own, but keep Angel out of it! She's too young!"

"Mum, I'm not an idiot," I reassure her. "Really, I was in charge of _six people_, including Angel, for at least three years, if not four. We made it through that, now didn't we? I don't think an Elvis concert is exactly dangerous."

"I know. But still, be careful."

"I will, I promise." I hug her goodbye and she heads back into her room to finish her makeup. Then I continue into my room, stripping the hangers clean in the closet and shoving everything unfolded into a duffel bag. I cleared out my drawers this morning. When I reach into my closet again, I see Max's brown jacket and boots. I pull my hand back hesitantly. Wearing that jacket was like a glimpse back into my old life, and I still haven't decided whether it was good or bad.

With a sigh, I pull the jacket off the hanger and shrug it on, reaching into the pockets. Her (my) pocket knife is still there, and I take it out and stare at it for a moment. Glancing into the boots, so are the guns.

"Rose?" Total asks, trotting through the door. He hops up on my bed and I look down at him. His eyes fall on the pocket knife in my hands.

"Do you intend on carrying that with you?"

"I'm thinking about it," I admit. He nods.

"I would too, if I were you. From what you've told me, your trips with the Doctor are even more dangerous than you let on. But something is bothering you. What is it?"

"Listen, Total…" I sigh. "You know how Mickey is gone?" He nods.

"Yeah."

"He's in a parallel universe. We crashed there by accident. In parallel universes, everything is basically the same, but a little bit different. There was a parallel Mickey, called Ricky. There was a parallel Jackie Tyler, and Pete was still alive. But they didn't have a daughter – Rose Tyler didn't exist," I explain slowly.

"Let me guess, Maximum Ride did?"

"Wha…?"

"And now, after being reminded of what your old life was like, you realize that you kind of miss it. There were a lot of bad things, but there were good things too," he says.

"Yeah. I just…I sit here and wonder how the hell I went from that to this, and whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. I mean, this," I hold up the pocket knife in my hands, "this was hers. And inside those boots, there're guns. She was ready to protect herself, and I need to be too…right?"

"Right," Total agrees. "And there's something else, isn't there?"

"There's nothing to do about that…"

"Talk about it. I'm listening," Total insists.

"She died," I say. "Parallel me. It's just…I dunno. I _died_, Total. And it made me realize…I'm not invincible. And I think the Doctor realized that too. As much as I want to stay, and keep travelling forever…I can't."

"Make the most of the time you have, though, and it'll all be worth it," he advises. I smile softly.

"I'll try. Thank you, Total."

"Have fun at your concert. Stay safe – I want Angel back in one piece!"

"I promise," I laugh, watching him walk off.

Max's words echo in my head:

_"And I know your Doctor has a thing against guns – but do yourself a favor and grab one or two. A little extra protection won't hurt…"_

I think for a moment, knowing she was right. The Doctor can talk his way out of almost every situation, and when he can't use words, he uses the sonic screwdriver. He hates using weapons. He hates violence.

But I'm not the Doctor, I'm me. I _don't_ have a way with words. I _can't_ talk my way out of every situation. I can try, but it doesn't always work. As much as I want to make the Doctor proud, I need to be alive in order to do that. And a day is sure to come along where I get myself into a mess where I won't be able to sweet talk my way to safety – I need a way to defend myself when that happens. The same goes for the people I'm with.

If we're taking Angel along, even for only one trip, I've got to have a way to protect her if something goes wrong. I can trust the Doctor, and believe in him, and know that he's going to try his best to save me. But when the time comes and I'm on my own, I need to be able to fend for myself, and do the best thing for everyone else, even if it means using a knife or a gun.

With that in mind, I shove the pocket knife back in my jacket and zip it up. Then I grab the boots and tuck them safely into my duffel bag, yanking the zipper shut. I look about my room one last time as I sling it over my shoulder. Then I walk out the front door to the TARDIS, not looking back.

**~DW~**

"This is so cool," Angel shrieks, jumping up and down. Her long pink poodle skirt swishes around and her sunglasses sit on top of her head.

"Where did the Doctor get off to?" I ask, grabbing my own sunglasses. Angel did manage to get me in a poodle skirt that matched hers, but only on the terms that it would be red and not pink. I snuck on a light blue jacket to stick my pocket knife in, keeping in mind Max's words of advice and Mum's orders to keep Angel safe, Then I slid on a red headband that matched my skirt and pulled back my hair.

"He said he was coming back with a surprise. Can I look outside? Can I?"

"It won't hurt to take a peek," I say, opening the TARDIS doors. Angel bounds through them into the street.

"We're really in the fifties?" she asks. "Oh, this is so awesome!"

"I thought we'd be shooting for more of the Vegas era," I say, stepping out with her. The Doctor pokes his head out the TARDIS doors.

"You're joking, right? You wanna see Elvis, you need to go in the fifties! Back when they called him 'the Pelvis' and he still had a waist."I laugh as he disappears back inside. Then he comes speeding through the doors on a moped, wearing a white helmet and a pair of sunglasses. I slide on my own pair, laughing.

"You going my way, doll?" he asks in his best Elvis voice.

"Is there any other way to go, daddy-o?" I reply. Angel giggles. The Doctor hands her a pink helmet and tosses me a red one. We pull them on. Angel slides on the moped behind the Doctor and I get on the back.

"Where are we going?" she asks the Doctor once he starts driving.

"Ed Sullivan TV Studios. Elvis did 'Hound Dog' on one of the shows, there were loads of complaints. Bit of luck, we'll catch it!"

"Where are we though?"

"New York," the Doctor tells her. I watch a red London bus drive across the street, and note the Union flags that hang from the doors of nearly everyhouse on the street. The Doctor stops when he notices.

"_Totally _digging the New York vibe," I laugh.

"Well, it could still be New York…bit of a Londony New Work, mind…" he defends.

"Okay," I say, rolling my eyes. I hop off the moped, helping Angel off after me. The Doctor puts it into park and slides off. We all take off our helmets and balance them on the seat before walking off. I slide my arm through the Doctor's and Angel takes my right hand with a smile. She skips along. I grin at how excited she is.

The Doctor's attention is caught by a man in the back of a delivery truck. I follow his gaze to the two boys who lift a television set out of the back and carry it into a house. The owner watches Doctor starts leading us over.

"There you go, sir, all wired up for the great occasion!" the business man says cheerily.

"What great occasion would that be?" the Doctor inquires. The man raises his eyebrows and stares at the Doctor like he's the biggest idiot in the world once he realizes it's not a joke.

"Have you been living under a rock, then?" he asks good-humoredly. "The Coronation, of course!"

"What Coronation would that be?" the Doctor asks. I roll my eyes.

"Even I learned this at school, Doctor, and I hardly paid any attention at all in class," I murmur in his ear, trying not to laugh.

"What do you mean? _The _Coronation," the man states.

"The Queen," I tell him. "Queen Elizabeth."

"Oh! Oh, is this 1953?" the Doctor realizes.

"I can't believe I put that together before you did."

"Well, yeah, 1953 last I checked," the man nods with a smile. I look around at the roofs of all the houses, noting that there are quite a few aerials.

"That's quite a lot of TV aerials," I comment. "Does everyone have one? Mum says Nana Prentice were so rare that everyone had to pile into one house."

"Not around here, love. Magpie's Marvellous Tellies, only five quid a box," says the man who I assume is Magpie.

"This is a brilliant year!" the Doctor exclaims, letting go of my arm and wandering around the street with a huge grin. "Classic! Technicolor, Everest climbed, everything off the ration…" Angel starts to giggle at him, and I can't help but smile as well. He puts on an expression of mock outrage. "Angel, are you _laughing _at me? How could you?"

Angel's laughter is cut short by a woman's yelling.

"Someone help me, please! Ted! Leave him alone, that's my husband!"

The Doctor immediately races off toward the sound of the problem down the street.

"Come on, Angel," I say, and we run off after him. A man with a blanket over his head his getting shoved into a black police car by two men in suits.

"What's going on?" the Doctor demands. A young boy runs out of the house after the woman.

"What are you doing?" he shouts. "Where are you taking him?"

"This is police business, sir," says one of the men. "Get out of the way."

I walk up to the boy. "Do you know him? Who are they taking?"

"It must be Mr. Gallagher…" he trails off. "It's been happening everywhere, they're turning into monsters…"

"What do you mean, they're turning into monsters?" Angel asks, her eyes wide.

"Not another word, Tommy!" shouts a man from the doorway. Tommy glares at his father, frowning. He turns back to me.

"Sorry, I'd better do what he says," he apologizes. He turns and kogs back into the house. Suddenly I feel a hand on my shoulder, jumping as I realize the Doctor is right behind me. Angel lets go of my hand and runs over to the sobbing woman whose husband was taken away.

"Don't worry," she says comfortingly. She points at us, continuing. "That's my Mum and the Doctor. They're the smartest, bravest people I know. We're going to figure out what happened to him, and we're going to get him back, I promise."

"Come on, Angel," the Doctor calls with a soft smile. "Let's get after them." He slides on his sunglasses, running to get the moped down the street. He pulls up next to us, tossing us our helmets, and we hop on before he speeds off after the black van.

If I thought the Doctor couldn't drive the TARDIS, it's nothing compared to the moped. I keep a tight hold on him in front of me, and Angel squeezes my waist so tightly I can hardly breathe.

It turns right in front of us, but when we round the corner it has vanished. It's a dead end street. The Doctor comes to an immediate stop, slamming on the brakes, and we're jerked forward. I slap him on the arm, feeling slightly motion sick.

"How did we lose it? Where could it have gone?" he cries.

"You are going to get yourself bloody arrested for reckless driving," I tell him, annoyed. "Did you even pass the test?"

"Men in black? Vanishing police cars?" the Doctor muses, rambling off.

"I like that movie," Angel says offhandedly.

"Monsters, that boy said…" I mutter to myself.

"We could ask the neighbors," Angel suggests. The Doctor and I turn and stare at her.

"Thank you, Angel, for having common sense. I'm glad a raised you right. If only this daft alien here could take a few lessons from you…"

"See?" the Doctor says. "That's what I like about you humans. The domestic approach!"

"Thank you," I sigh, but after a moment's thought, I add, "Wait? Was that an insult?" Angel giggles behind me and the Doctor takes off again without warning. Almost losing my balance, I grab him around the waist again.

"I'm going to kill you," I say loudly over the sound of the motor.

**~DW~**

The Doctor is bounding up the steps to the front door of Tommy's house and ringing the doorbell before I've even helped Angel off the moped. She takes off her helmet quickly, hanging it on the bike before skipping up to meet him at the door and slipping her small hand into his bigger one. I smile at the sight, remembering how lucky I am. Then I join them at the door, which swings open. The man who I assume is Tommy's father that scolded him before stands in front of us. Tommy lingers a foot or two behind him.

"Hi," we chorus happily, with identical grins on our faces. He raises an eyebrow.

"Who are you, then?" he asks.

"Well, judging by the look of you – family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war – therefore, I represent Queen and country! Just doing a little check up on everyone before the big day! Mind if I come in? No, didn't think you did," the Doctor rambles, stepping past him into the house and smiling at Tommy. Angel is right behind him, dragging me through the door. The man at the door looks slightly confused, barely hearing a word the Doctor says because he's talking so fast.

"This is a nice place, not bad at all," the Doctor continues. "Well kept, too. I'd like to congratulate you, Mrs…?" He turns to the woman that stands near the couch of the living room. One of Magpie's television sets sits a few feet in front of it.

"Connolly," the woman says slowly, clearly confused. Honestly, I don't blame her. If I didn't know the Doctor as well as I do, I'd think he was absolutely mental…well, I still do. But it would be even more so.

"Don't worry, Rita," says Mr. Connolly. "I can handle this, he's a proper representative! Don't mind the wife, she rattles on a bit…" Mrs. Connolly takes a small step back, barely noticeable, looking a bit terrified. I eye her carefully, sitting on the arm of the couch. Angel sits on the cushion next to me, and I put my arm around her shoulder.

_Angel, what are you getting from her?_ I ask mentally. She raises her eyebrows.

_So, I'm allowed to read minds now? _

_ When I tell you to, yes, now just do what I say,_ I reply, rolling my eyes.

_She's…scared. I can't see what she's so afraid of, but Mr. Connolly is hiding something._

"Maybe she should rattle on a bit more," the Doctor comments. Mr. Connolly's jaw hit's the floor, and Tommy's eyes widen. I frown slightly when I remember that women were considered less than men at some point. The Doctor continues. "I'm not convinced you're doing your patriotic duty. Those are nice flags you've got there. Why are they not flying?"

I hide I smile when I realize the Doctor is trying to intimidate Mr. Connolly. He pauses for a moment, trying to formulate a response. I glare at him when he blames his wife.

"There we are, Rita, I told you to put them up! Queen and country!"

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Connolly stutters, scared. She rushes to pick up the flags on the floor.

"Get it done, do it now!"

"Hold on just a moment, Mr. Connolly," I interrupt, standing up. He and his wife both freeze. "You've got hands, don't you? You're nice and strong. Why can't you do it?"

"That's housework!"

"And that's a woman's job?"

"Course it is!"

"Mr. Connolly, what gender is the Queen?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.

"She's a female…" he answers defensively.

"Do you think the Queen does housework?" I ask, arms crossed. Tommy tries to hide a smile behind his father, who is completely put off by the question. Even Mrs. Connolly can't hide her tiny smile at her husband's discomfort.

"No," he stutters, "not at all!"

"Then get on with it!" the Doctor says, shoving a string of flags at him.

"Right, yes sir," he agrees far too quickly, flashing an incredibly fake smile. "You'll be proud of us, sir! We'll have Union Jacks left, right, and center!"

"Excuse me, Mr. Connolly, hang on a minute!" Angel interrupts, coming to stand next to me with her hands on her hips. "Union Jacks?"

He pauses to look at her. "Yes, that's right."

"That's the Union _Flag_," Angel corrects. "It's only the Union Jack when it's flown at sea."

I smile proudly at her. Tommy doesn't bother hiding his smile anymore, outright grinning at Angel. Mr. Connolly looks thrown off.

"Oh…oh, I'm sorry, I do apologize!"

"Well, don't get it wrong again, there's a good man. Get back to it!" she tells him sweetly, with that smile of hers that can terrify me sometimes. I don't know how she balances perfectly angelic and totally evil at the same time.

"Right then! Nice and comfy, at Her Majesty's leisure!" the Doctor proclaims, plopping himself down on the couch. I take a seat next to his right, and Angel decides to squeeze between us. I move over slightly to make room.

"Union Flag?" the Doctor asks her quietly. I nod in agreement, wondering the same thing.

"How did you know that?" I add.

"Grandmum went out with a sailor," she answers with a coy smile.

"Oh, I bet she did," the Doctor mutters. I reach around behind Angel and slap him in the arm. Then he straightens himself up and looks at Tommy.

"Who might you be, then?"

Tommy jumps slightly, surprised the Doctor is talking to him. I pat the couch to my left.

"Come on and take a seat," I offer. "You should too, Mrs. Connolly, relax a bit!" I motion to another chair nearby. Tommy grins, sitting next to me. Mrs. Connolly takes a seat in the chair.

"Have a look at this," the Doctor says, pointing at the television. "I love telly, don't you?"

"Yeah, I think it's brilliant!" Tommy agrees. We silently watch the program (something about fossils or whatnot…reminder: ask the Doctor to show me some dinosaurs one of these days) as the Doctor turns to Mr. Connolly.

"Keep working, Mr. C!" Then he turns to Mrs. Connolly, dropping the cheerful act and speaking much more quietly. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Did you say you were a doctor?" she asks softly.

"Yes, I am," he confirms.

"Can you help her? Oh, please, can you help her, Doctor?" she begs.

"Now then, Rita, the gentleman doesn't need to know…"

"No, the gentleman does," the Doctor says, cutting him off. Mrs. Connolly begins to cry. I stand up and walk over to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Tell us what's wrong, and we can help," I prod.

"Hold on just a minute!" Mr. Connolly shouts angrily. "This is my house! What the hell are you doing? Listen here, Doctor, you may have fancy qualifications, but this is my business!"

"All the people are being bundled into…" the Doctor starts.

"I am talking!" Mr. Connolly yells. The Doctor stands to face him, his eyes dark and furious.

"And I'm not listening! Now you, Mr. Connolly, are staring into a deep, dark pit of trouble if you don't let me help. So I'm ordering you, _sir_, to tell me what is going on!"

The room is silent while Mr. Connolly tries to think of something to say. Tommy stares at the scene with wide eyes and his mother continues to cry. I comfort her the best I can.

The silence is shattered by a loud banging sound from upstairs. My eyes dart to the ceiling, and I listen intently to the noise.

"She won't stop," Mr. Connolly says. "She never stops."

"We started hearing stories," Tommy explains, fear lacing his tone, "all round the place, people who've…changed. Families keeping it secret cause they're scared. The police starting finding out, but we don't know how. They just turn up and take them away, any time of day or night."

"Show me," the Doctor says. Tommy nods, racing into the other room to grab a set of keys. He leads us up the staircase and down a hallway to a closed door which he unlocks. Angel grasps at my hand, and I look down at her, concerned. She looks slightly scared as the banging continues.

"Gran?" Tommy calls, poking his head in the door. There are no lights on in the room. "It's Tommy. It's alright, Gran, I've brought help." He opens the door fully, stepping inside. The Doctor follows while I stand in the doorway with Angel. The light flicks on.

"Her face!" Angel gasps. "It's…it's…"

"Gone," I fill in, unable to tear my eyes away from the faceless old woman. Where her eyes, nose, and mouth should be, there is nothing – only a blank canvas.

The Doctor pulls out the sonic screwdriver, peering at the woman. I tug on Angel's arm gently, urging her further into the room.

"Her face is completely gone," the Doctor says, slightly fascinated. "Scarcely an electrical impulse left. Almost complete neural shutdown, she's ticking over, like her brain has been…wiped clean."

"Mum," Angel says, trembling. "It's not…it couldn't be them, could it? The School?"

"Sweetie, it's going to be okay," I tell her, grabbing her shoulders and looking her in the eye. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

"What're we going to do, Doctor?" Tommy asks desperately. "We can't even feed her!"

Suddenly, there's the sound of a door breaking downstairs. I straighten up quickly. Angel jumps, stepping back.

"It's them!" Mrs. Connolly cries. "They've come for her!"

"What was she doing before this happened?" the Doctor asks hurriedly. "Where was she?"

"I don't know! I can't remember! She was just in the house!"

A big, tough-looking guy walks into the room. The Doctor approaches them, rambling at a mile a minute.

"Hold on! There are three important, brilliant, and complicated reasons why you should listen to me…"

I cringe at the sick cracking sound when the man's fist meets the Doctor's face. He collapses, unconscious. Angel drops to her knees next to him, trying to wake him up.

The men throw a blanket over Tommy's grandmother and carry her down the stairs in a rush before I could do anything. Tommy and Mrs. Connolly race down after the men, calling for the woman. Mr. Connolly does nothing – then I see him urging the officers on, pushing them down the stairs to get out quickly. I glare at him. I look at the Doctor unconscious on the floor.

I kneel down on the side opposite of Angel, slapping him inn the face. He blinks, sitting up quickly.

"See, Ange? Lesson one, the best way to wake uop the Doctor is by slapping him."

The Doctor ignores my comment, hopping to his feet quickly and dragging us along down the steps and out to the street. He hops on the moped, Angel following, calling m yname. But I freeze where I am, turning back to the television in the loiving room. The antennae buzz with red electricity. I rush over to the set, kneeling in front of it and fiddling with switches. I notice the label – one of Magpie's televisions.

"How did they find her?" Tommy asks as he and his parents make their way back into the house.

"You!" Mr. Connolly shrieks. I turn my head to look at him. "Get the hell out of my house!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm done, I'm going," I mutter, rolling my eyes. I wave goodbye to Tommy and Mrs. Connolly. At the door, I can't resist one last jab at Mr. Connolly's pride.

"As for you, Mr. Connolly, only a true idiot hangs a Union Flag upside down!" I grin cheerfully and he slams the door in my face.

**~DW~  
**The door to Magpie's shop opens with a small ringing bell. He stands behind the counter, which is covered with tools and television pieces. At the shound of the bell, he looks up at me. I note the nervous air about him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, miss, I was just about to lcose up shop for the day, you're too late," he says.

"Yeah, well, I want to buy a telly," I inform him, shutting the door behind me anyway.

"Come back tomorrow, please."

"You'll be closed tomorrow, won't you? For the big day?"

"What?"

"The coronation?"

"Ah, yes, of course, the big day…I'm sure you'll find somewhere to watch it. Please go."

"Seems to me more than half the city's got a telly. You're practically giving them away. Why?"

"I have my reasons.'

"And what are they?" I push, trying to get answers. I stare him down and he shrinks away from my gaze.

"Hungry! Hungry!"

I spin around at the sound of the woman's voice. One of the televisions has come on.

"What's that?" I ask him.

"Just one of those modern programs," he insists. He chews at the inside of his cheek nervously – lying. "Now I really think you should leave!"

"Not until you tell me why your televisions are so cheap," I demand.

"It's my patriotic duty!" he lies. "Seems only right that as many people as possible get to watch the coronation. Twenty million people they reckon will be watching! Imagine that! And twenty million people can't be wrong, eh? So why don't you get on home and get up bright and early for the big day?"

"You see, Magpie, I've never been one to flow with the rest of the crowd. If there's a stampede of people running one way, you can bet that I'm the one who's fighting to go the other direction. So, I'm ot going anywhere until I've seen everything."

"I neeed to close," he says, frustrated, not bothering to reason with me anymore.

"Listen up," I say forcefully, walking up to the counter and slamming my hands down on it. "Something is happening, something bad. Ordinary people are being robbed of their _faces_. The only new thing in the house is a television, and everyone is buying from you. Now tell me – what the bloody hell is going on?"

"I knew this would happen," he mutters to himself, slightly scared. "I knew I'd be found out."

"Coming clean now, then? Tell me, whaat's in it for you?"

"Maybe some peace."

"Peace from what?"

"From _her_," he says, glancing at the woman on the television. I follow his gaze.

_Maybe this guy really isn't behind everything…maybe he's insane._

"That's just a television program," I tell him.

"What a pretty little girl," the woman smiles, but it's insincere. Her eyes stare right through me.

"Hold on, are you talking to me?" I ask, my eyes widening.

"Yes, I'm talking to you, little one. And I'm hungryyyy!"

**~DW~ ANGEL'S POV**

The Doctor and I follow the police car on the moped, finally seeing where they had gotten to earlier. A gate opens up, leading to a secret headquarters, kind of. We follow them inside silently…until we get caught. Two men lead us to the head of the operation. The man sits behind a desk, and we sit in front of him in spinning chairs.

"Tell me everything you know," he orders.

"Well, for starters," the Doctor says, "I know you can't wrap your hand around your elbow and make your fingers meet."

"Don't get clever with me. You were there today at Florisel Street, and now breaking into this establishment. Now, you're connected with this. Make no mistake. And her, she's just a little girl! How did she get involved in all of this?" the man exclaims.

"Well, the thing is, Detective Inspector Bishop…"

"How do you know my name?"

"It's written inside your collar," the Doctor informs him. DI Bishop looks slightly uncomfortable, fumbling with his collar. I smirk as the Doctor continues. "Bless you mum. Anyway, Detective Inspector, I can't help noticing that you aren't doing much detective inspecting. All you're doing in grabbing those poor faceless people. Don't tell me, orders from above? No one wants the negative attention around coronation day, is that right?" The Doctor spins in his chair as he talks, extremely casual. Di Bishop looks slightly put off.

"The nation has an image to maintain."

"And that's more important than the suffering people?" I scoff. "You've got to be a DI for a reason. Don't you want to do something about all this?"

"Of course I do!" he insists. He sighs. "But with all the crowds expected, we haven't got the man power. Even if we did, this is beyond anything we've ever seen. Twenty years on the police force, and I haven't the faintest idea where to start."

"That could change," the Doctor says.

"How?"

"Tell me everything you know."

DI Bishop stands up, pointing at a large map of London hanging on the wall.

"We started finding them about a month ago," he explains. "People left without eyes, noses, mouths – just blank faces."

"Is there any sort of pattern?" the Doctor asks.

"Yes," DI Bishop says, "spreading oyut from North London. Men, women, kids, grannies…the only real lead is that there's been a large number from…"

"Florisel Street," I finish for him, flipping through the files on his desk. He nods. There's a knock on the door.

"Found another one, sir," says a policeman, leading in a blanketed figure. My heart skips a beat when I see the poofy red skirt I forced Mum into this morning.

"Good man, Crabtree," DI Bishop tells the officer. "Go on, Doctor, take a look. See what you can deduce."

"No," I whimper. "No, not her…please, not her…" I turn to the Doctor, tears gathering in my eyes. He stares at the red skirt, eyes wide, not wanting to believe it. But the officer pulls the blanket off over her head and there's no denying it.

"Rose," the Doctor breathes. I rush over to her figure, throwing my arms around her waist and tugging at her skirt, praying for an annoyed response.

"No, no, please, Mum, no," I beg, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Not when I finally found you again, you've got to be okay…"

I feel the Doctor's hands on my shoulders, pulling me away from her and turning me to face his. He hugs me tightly while I cry into his jacket.

"You know her?" DI Bishop asks, concerned.

"They found her in the street," the officer explains. "Abandoned in a square, apparently. First one out in the open."

"God forbid something happens on the big day in public tomorrow, we'll have Torchwood on our backs," DI Bishop says.

"They did what?" the Doctor interrupts coldly, but dangerously calm. I sniffle, pulling away from him and turning to look at Mum again. A dark picture of her wandering the streets alone with no face creeps into my mind. I start trembling.

"I'm sorry?" DI Bishop asks.

"They left her _where_?"

"Just…in the street."

"In the street," the Doctor repeats. "They left her in the street. They took away her face and just chucked her out and left her in the street. And as a result, that makes things simple. Very, very simple. Do you know why?"

"No…" DI Bishop says carefully.

"Because NOW, Detective Inspector Bishop," the Doctor shouts, "there is no power on this Earth that can stop me!" He kneels down next to me and grabs me by the shoulders.

"Don't cry Angel. I swear, if it's the last thing I ever do, I am going to get her back, I am going to save her. I promise you."

"I know," I say. "You always save her. That's why she loves you. But she saves you, too. And that's why you love her."

The Doctor's eyes widen slightly. I offer him a small, wet smile.

"It's so obvious," I tell him. "But neither of you know. That's why when we get her back, you should tell her. Mum deserves someone like you. She's spent her whole life taking care of other people, but you can take care of her."

He nods, kissing my forehead and grabbing my hand, leading me straight to the door. DI Bishop follows right behind us. We burst through the gates without a word. The Doctor just keeps walking, taking the occasional turn down a street. I recognize where we're heading – the Connolly's house.

We turn onto the street. The Doctor stalks right up to the front door, pounding on it. Tommy comes to open the door, poking his head through.

"Tommy, talk to me," the Doctor orders. The boy stepps outside and closes the door behind him. "I need to know exactly what happened inside your house."

Tommy opens his mouth to speak, but Mr. Connolly yanks the door open angrily.

"What the blazes do you think you're doing?" he demands, rounding on Tommy. Tommy stares right back up at his father defiantly.

"I want to help, dad!"

"Listen, you little twerp, you're hardly out of the blooming cradle, so I don't expect you to understand, but I've got a position to maintain! People round here respect me! It matters what they think!"

"Is that why you did it?" Tommy asks angrily.

"What?"

"You ratted out gran! That's the only way the police could have ever found out! The coward told them!"

"Do you think I fought in the war so a mouthy scum like you could call me a coward?" Mr. Connolly rages.

"You don't get it!" Tommy shouts. "You fought against facism! You fought so that people wouldn't tell you how to live, who to be friends with, who to fall in love with! You were fighting so little twerps like me could do what we wanted! Now you've become just like them. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you?"

"Is that true?" asks Mrs. Connolly, appearing at the doorway.

Mr. Connolly looks to her, his eyes widening.

"I did it for us, Rita! She was a filthy, disgusting thing!"

"She was my mother! And all those people, all our friends!"

"I had to! I did the right thing!"

"The right thing for us, or the right thing for you, Eddie?" Mrs. Connolly retorts, disgusted. She turns to Tommy. "Go, Tommy, get out of this house. Go with the Doctor. Do some good."

She slams the door, locking it, leaving Mr. Connolly trapped outside.

"Tommy?" the Doctor nudges, nodding his head toward DI Bishop waiting at the curb with raised eyebrows. He nods, racing down the stairs with the Doctor. I rush after them, but stop for a moment.

"Wait a second!" I call, running back over to Mr. Connolly.

"What do you want?" he sneers. I stick my tongue out at him and stomp hard on his foot. He howls with pain, calling me a bunch of names that I file away for later use (not around Mum, of course). With one last glare, I skip back down the stairs and take the Doctor's hand while we walk.

"You really are your mother's daughter, you know that?" the Doctor laughs. I grin at him, then it gets serious again.

"So, Tommy, tell me about that night, when she changed," the Doctor says. Tommy shoves his hands in his pockets, staring at the ground while he replies.

"She was just watching the telly."

"Of ocurse" the Doctor realizes. I look up at him, confused. "Rose said it when we first got here, she knew all along – all the aerials on the street, how come?"

"Bloke up the road, Mr. Magpie sells them cheap," Tommy explains. Then the Doctor is off and running, dragging me along with him. I point to the shop with the sign in the window that says 'Magpie's'. The Doctor runs to it, smashing through the glass door.

"You can't do that!" DI Bishop protests, catching up, but the Doctor ignores him, set on finding Mum. He strides over to the counter and rings the bell repeatedly.

"MAGPIE!" he shouts.

"Maybe he isn't in," Tommy says.

"Looks like it," the Doctor agrees. He goes behind the counter and starts rummaging through drawers. He pulls out a box that looks like a cross between a portable TV and radio.

"This isn't right," he mutters, examining it. "This is very much not right…" He pauses for a moment, considering, then licking the box. I make a face.

"Yuck."

"Tastes like iron. Bakelite…"

"That's brilliant!" DI Bishop exclaims. "A portable te;evison!"

"Put together by human hands, but the design…" the Doctor murmurs to himself, not even acknowledging the rest of us. He scans the device with the sonic screwdriver, then points it at another television in the room. Suddenly, static fills every screen in the room. Then faces pop up on the screens.

I locate Mum's immediately, watching her call out.

_Doctor! Doctor!_

"She's calling for you," I say, looking at him. He kneels in front of the screen, looking sad, but determined.

"I'm on my way," he says quietly, running a hand down her face.

"She already knows," I tell him.

A door swings open from behind the counter. Magpie walks into the door.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demands.

"I want my friend restored!" the Doctor thunders. Magpie flinches away from him. "Now, I think that's beyond a little backstreet technician, so who is really in charge here?"

"That would be me," says a woman's voice. We all turn to one of the television screens.

"Is she talking to us?" DI Bishop asks, disbelieving.

"Sorry, but you brought this on yourself," Magpie says. "May I introduce my new friend…"

"God, it's her, that woman off the telly," Tommy breathes.

"No, it's just using her image," the Doctor says, staring at the screen.

"I'm the Wire," the woman says. "And I will gobble you up, every last morsel. And when I have feasted, I shall regain the corpeal body, which my fellow kind have denied me." Slowly, color blooms on the screen.

"Oh my god, colored television!" DI Bishop exclaims.

"Your own people tried to stop you?" the Doctor asks.

"They executed me," she scowls. "But I took this form, and I fled across the stars."

"Now you're trapped in the television," I say, understanding.

"Not for long."

"It feeds on the electrical activity of the brain, but it overstuffs itself, it takes the person's essence," the Doctor explains.

"You let her do it!" I cry, turning to Magpie.

"I had to! She let me keep my face!"

"For the first time, millions of people are going to be gathered around a television set," the Doctor says. "But you aren't strong enough. That's why you need that." He grabs the portable television off the counter. "You need something to turn a big transmitter into a big receiver."

"What a clever thing you are," the Wire smiles humourlessly. "But why fret about it? Why not just kick off your shoes, put up your feet, and watch the coronation? I guarantee – you'll be glued to the screen!"

Sparks of red electricity reach out of the television screens, surrounding me. My head starts to hurt.

"Doctor!" I cry. "Doctor, help me!"

Everything goes black.

**~DW~**

"Come on, Angel, ocme on, sweetheart," someone mutters. "Wake up." They're grabbing my shoulders, shaking me roughly. I moan at the pain in my head.

"Doctor?"

"That would be me," he says, and I make out his grin as I open my eyes. "We need to get going." I nod, pulling myself into a sitting position. He reaches out a hand to help me stand up. Tommy stands a few feet away, looking about as groggy as I feel. Then I turn to DI Bishop.

"Oh no!" I gasp, seeing that his face is gone.

"What happened?" Tommy asks, rubbing his forehead.

"Where's Magpie?" the Doctor asks aloud, more talking to himself than anyone else.

"We don't even know where to start, he's got to be long gone by now," I say. "How long were we out for?"

"The Wire's got a big plan," the Doctor rambles, pacing back and forth. "So it'll need... yes, yes, yes, it's got to harness half the population... millions and millions of people... and where are we?"

"Muswell Hill," Tommy tells him.

"Muswell Hill…which means…Alexandra Palace!" the Doctor exclaims. He runs outside and checks, just to be sure. "The biggest TV transmitter in North London! That's why they chose this place!"

"What are we going to do?" I ask.

"We're going shopping," the Doctor grins, racing back into the shop. He starts gathering equipment, handing things off to me and Tommy.

"Right, that's all we need," he says, grabbing his own load of equipment to carry. "Come on!" He races out the door, Tommy and I close on his heels.

"Look!" Tommy cries once the transmitter tower is in close enough view. "Magpie is up there!"

"Come on!" the Doctor shouts.

"Whoa, there, what do you think you're doing?" a police officer says, holding up a hand. The Doctor merely flashes the psychic paper in his face and keeps running.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir!" the officer calls after us. "Shouldn't you be at the coronation?"

The Doctor turns back hishead to reply. "They're saving me a seat!"

"Who did he think we were?" I ask. The Doctor glances at the psychic paper.

"I'm the King of Belgium, apparently."

We round another corner, finally coming to the bottom of the tower. The Doctor tells us to drop our bundles of equipment. He sonics the door to the control room, unlocking it and ushering us inside.

"I need the two of you to make sure this stays switched on. Don't let anyone stop you. Do you understand?" the Doctor orders. We nod.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm climbing the transmitter."

"Are you crazy?" Tommy exclaims.

"I can do it," I declare, grabbing the equipment out of the Doctor's hands. "I'll be faster."

"What?" he says, horrified, taking the equipment back from me. "No! Your mother would _kill_ me if something happened to you!"

"Nothing is going to happen to me! I'm going to be fine!" I argue, pulling the equipment back, but he holds his grip on it.

"Angel! I said no!"

"Shut up!" I shout. He silences immediately, his eyes wide. "How much has Mum told you? Do you know what we've been through in our lives? From the minute I was born, I was being tortured and experimented on. I've been running from evil scientists and their vile experiments for my entire life! I'm not just a weak little twelve year old girl! I know how to fight. I can take a little pain. I can _do _this! Mum saved my life so many times – now it's my chance to save _her_!"

"I'm sorry," the Doctor sighs. "I know. You _can_ do this. But I don't want you to get hurt. Even if Rose were here, I would tell her the same thing. She could do it too. But I wouldn't want to put her in harm's way."

"Please," I beg. "Please, Doctor." He looks at me carefully and nods.

"Okay. But be careful, Angel. If anything happens, just scream for me. I'll come, I promise," he says, tucking my hair behind my ear and kissing my forehead. I take the device out of his hands and he explains to me what it is and what to do with it. Then he walks outside with me.

I spread my wings, flexing them to stretch them out. I take off, flying right up to meet Magpie in moments.

"It's too late!" he cries. "It's too late for all of us!"

"I'm not going to let you do this," I shout.

"Help me! It burns! It took my face – my soul!"

"You cannot stop the Wire!" the Wire cackles. I glare at the screen, trying to reach around Magpie to the electric outlet.

"No more! You promised me peace!" Magpie wails to the Wire.

"And peace you shall have," the Wire says. Magpie bursts into red sparks. I gasp, dodging the shower of electricity, but come right back at the portable television with the plug in my hand. I jam it into the outlet, bracing myself for something to happen. I don't know what I'm waiting for – an explosion? An electric shock? But nothing.

"Oh, dear, has your little plan failed?" the Wire mocks. I open my eyes, confused. I glance down to the control booth through a window. The Doctor is rapidly flicking switches with Tommy. Something must have stopped working.

But Tommy presses a button and everything comes whirring back to life. I fly a few feet away from the tower, looking out over the city. The red electric signal is visible, being pulled back into the tower. The Wire screeches and the screen goes static-y before going black completely. I remove the cassette tape from the television like the Doctor told me to.

I fly back down to the Doctor, landing a few feet away from him. He beams at me, engulfing me in a hug. I wrap my arms around his neck, smiling widely.

"Can I have the tape?" he asks as he sets me back down. I give him the cassette tape.

"Why do you need that?" I ask him.

"This is where I trapped the Wire," he explains. "Within the film."

"That's brilliant!" Tommy gasps from the doorway.

"Come on, now, let's get you home Tommy," the Doctor says. "We need to find Rose."

**~DW~**

"Look! It's my grandson!"

"Gran!" Tommy cries, racing to meet the old woman and his mother. The Doctor smiles at the happy family. I strain to look over the crowd, unable to locate Mum. A frown crosses my face and I start to worry.

"Over there," the Doctor says quietly, turning me around and pointing through the people. I have a view of Mum scanning the crowd, looking for us the same way we were looking for her.

"Mum!" I shout happily, running over to her. She looks toward the sound of my voice and beams when she sees me coming. I fling myself into her arms and she grins into my hair.

"I was so worried," I tell her, hugging her tightly.

"I know, it's okay," she assures me. "I'm here."

She sets me down slowly, and I can tell her eyes are on the Doctor by the way they're sparkling. He grins at her, and she grins at him, and I grin at the sight of them grinning at each other.

The Doctor sweeps her into his arms, lifting her up and spinning her in a circle. She laughs happily, burying her face in his shoulder as he sets her down, but doesn't let her go. Once I've decided they've had their moment, I join in the hug.

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

"So, that thing," I ask through a mouthful of the Doctor's cupcake. "It's trapped on the film for good?"

"I'm going to neutralise the residual electronic pattern, just to be safe," the Doctor says. We stare at him.

"I'm gonna tape over it."

"Oh," Angel giggles, taking my right hand since the Doctor has my left. She swings our arms back and forth cheerfully, skipping along. The Doctor catches sight of Tommy and waves him over.

"Tell you what, Tommy, you can keep the scooter. Little present. But, best keep it in the garage for a few years," he advises. Tommy grins, looking back toward his doorstep. Mrs. Connolly is shooing Mr. Connolly off.

"Good for her," I smile. Tommy nods.

"He deserves it." We all watch Mr. Connolly walk down the street alone.

"Tommy, go after him," Angel says. I look down at her, surprised.

"But why?" he asks.

"He's your dad," she reminds him.

"He's an idiot," Tommy reminds her.

"Yeah, but he's still your dad. And even if he might not be the best one, he's the only one you're ever going to get. You're lucky. I've never had a dad," Angel says. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and squeeze her arm.

"Okay," Tommy agrees after a moment. He races after his dad, walking along with him.

"Come on," I say, breaking through our silence. "Let's go have a bit of fun before we take you home, Angel."


	30. The Impossible Planet

**~DW~**

"Ouch!" I yelp pointedly, falling hard on the TARDIS grating. "What the hell kind of landing was that?"

The Doctor is already out the door, stepping onto whatever new planet he's brought us to. I hop to my feet quickly, scrambling after him and adjusting the brown jacket I've become accustomed to wearing. Mum says the Doctor must be rubbing off on me, always wearing the same thing. At least _I_ change my pants and wear a variety of t-shirts that don't all look the same.

"I dunno what's wrong with her," the Doctor mutters, stroking the TARDIS door.

"Right, blame the TARDIS. More like your driving is bloody awful…" I rant, but he cuts me off.

"No! Really! She's sort of…queasy, indigestion, like she didn't wanna land."

"Oh. Well if you think there's gonna be trouble, we could just get back inside and go somewhere else," I suggest, meeting his eyes. I'm surprised at how long I can keep a straight face before we burst out laughing at the ridiculous idea.

"I think we've landed inside a cupboard or something," the Doctor says. "Here we go!" He swings open a huge, yellow, heavy-looking door.

"Open door 15," announces a computer over a speaker. I can barely hear it over the brutal sounds coming from outside while we walk down a corridor.

"Is that a storm or something?" I ask the Doctor loudly. "Where are we, even?"

"Some sort of base," he replies vaguely. "They build these things out of kits. This place was built like a flat-pack wardrobe, only bigger, and easier." He opens another giant yellow door, and the computer announces it again.

Through the next door, the Doctor finally realizes where we are.

"It's a sanctuary base!" he pronounces, walking to the middle of the room. "Deep space exploration! And listen to that, someone's drilling!" Listening closely, I can hear the faint hum of a drill coming from somewhere beneath us. I take my own look around the room, and some writing on the wall catches my eye.

"Welcome to hell," I read aloud, cautiously approaching the wall.

"It's not that bad," the Doctor says, turning to look at me. I point at the wall, raising my eyebrows.

"Oh." He examines the phrase, written in big spray painted letters. "Wait, what does that say, underneath?" He heads over to the wall for a closer look, peering at the strange symbols.

"Looks like scribbles to me."

"No, that's writing…but it won't translate!"

"I thought the TARDIS translated everything. Shouldn't we see English?"

"Exactly," the Doctor says, looking back at me. "That means this writing is impossibly old, so old the TARDIS can't even translate it. We should find out who's in charge." He goes to open another yellow door on the other side of the room. "We've gone beyond the TARDIS's knowledge, not a good move. If someone is lucky enough…"

He jumps back a bit, startled. I take a few steps back as well. A bunch of…aliens, probably, stand on the other side of the door, with huge eyes that sit diagonally on their faces and tentacles where their mouths should be. They hold plastic spheres that light up when they talk.

"Oh! Hello!" the Doctor says, regaining his composure. "Sorry! I was just saying…nice base!"

"We must feed," the aliens say in unison. I raise my eyebrows and the Doctor glances back at me.

"Sorry, you must what?"

"We must feed," they repeat.

"Yeah, I'm fairly sure they mean us," I say, dragging the Doctor back as they start to advance on us. He grabs the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and I arm myself with a chair from one of the tables in the room. We're backed against the wall, and the aliens just keep repeating themselves.

"We must feed," says the alien closest to us. He taps on his glowing sphere and shakes it a bit. "You. If you're hungry."

"What?" I ask, completely taken off guard. Here I am ready to kick some alien butt, and they're offering snacks?

"We apologize. Electromagnetics have interfered with our speech systems. Would you like some refreshments?"

The Doctor lowers his sonic screwdriver and I toss the chair to the ground, both extremely confused. The three men that come bursting through the door with guns don't exactly help. They stare at us, completely bewildered.

"What the hell?" one asks. He speaks into his communication device. "Captain, you're not going to believe this. We've got real, actual _people_, out of thin air. Standing right in front of me!"

"Don't be ridiculous," comes the reply from the walkie-talkie. "That's impossible."

"Yeah, tell them that," the man says.

"This is a space base; you're telling me you don't get visitors every now and then?" I ask incredulously. He stares at me like I'm insane.

"Are you telling me you don't know where you are?"

"More fun that way," the Doctor says.

"Everyone stand by," says a new voice over the speaker. "We have an incoming, and a big one. Quake point five, on its way."

Right on cue, the floor starts trembling. I hold out my arms, trying to keep my balance, grabbing onto the Doctor.

"Quick, through here!" the man exclaims, opening a door and ushering us through. "Come on!" The corridor we enter is smoking and sparking. I can barely see where I'm going, nearly tripping and falling a number of times. The Doctor yanks me forward by the forearm all the way down the corridor until we're free from the smoke. I stare around at the new room we're in. There's a bunch of controls, and it looks extremely similar to the TARDIS console, in shape, at least.

The crew that had been working stares at us open mouthed.

"Oh my god, you weren't joking," says one man, who I recognize as the voice of the captain. The woman who called out the warning of the quake speaks up.

"People! Look at that, real people!" she gasps. The Doctor grins around at everyone, and I wave awkwardly.

"That's us, hooray!" the Doctor cheers.

"Yeah, I'm Rose, this is the Doctor…"

"The oxygen has got to be offline," interrupts another man, walking over to us. "We're hallucinating!" He pokes me in the shoulder and his eyes widen. "Oh my god, they're real!"

"Come on, we're in the middle of an emergency!" shouts the captain. He turns to us. "Sorry, you two, just…hold on to something. Ood, are we fixed?"

The aliens who offered us food before reply. "Your kindness is much appreciated in this emergency."

I grab onto a railing next to the Doctor.

"What's this planet even called?" he asks. A woman answers him.

"Don't be stupid, how could it have a name?" She looks at our confused expressions. "Oh my god, you really don't know, do you?"

"Impact!" shouts the captain. I tighten my grip on the railing and the room shakes violently. Then it all stops.

"Well that wasn't so bad," the Doctor begins, and everything is shaking again. Part of the console explodes, and sparks fly about everywhere. Then finally, it stops again.

"That should be it!" calls the captain. "Everyone alright? Speak to me, Ida?"

"Yeah!"

"Danny?"

"Fine!"

"Toby?"

"Yeah, fine."

"Scooti?"

"No damage."

"Jefferson?"

"Check."

"Right, don't worry about us, we're fine, thanks," the Doctor mutters. I give him my 'you're-being-rude' expression.

"The surface caved in," the captain reports, gesturing toward the screen. "I deflected it onto storage five through eight. Toby, go check on the rocket link."

"That's not my division!" he protests.

"Just do as I say, yeah?" Reluctantly, Toby leaves the room.

"Oxygen holding," Ida informs. "Internal gravity 56.6. We should be okay."

I'm straining to hear again over the same stormy sounds I heard before.

"Never mind the earthquake, that's one hell of a storm. What is it, a hurricane?" I ask.

"You'd need an atmosphere for a hurricane," Scooti says. "There's no air out there, it's a complete vacuum."

"You're not joking," Ida says, shaking her head. "You really don't know. Well, introductions. FYI, as they used to say in the olden days. I'm Ida Scott, science officer. That's Zachary Cross Flane, acting captain. You've met Jefferson, he's head of security. Danny Bartock, ethics committee. That man who just left was Toby Zed, archeology, and this here is Scooti Manista, trainee maintenance. And this is home." She walks over to the controls, pulling a lever.

"Brace yourselves," Zach warns. "The sight of it sends some people mad."

My attention is drawn to the roof. Metal panels slide over to the side, giving a view of space.

"That's a black hole!" I realize. I stare at the dark circle in the sky, wide eyed.

"That's impossible!" the Doctor says. "We're standing under a black hole."

"We're in orbit," Ida tells him.

"But we can't be!"

"You can see for yourself."

"But we _can't_ be!"

"This lump of rock is suspended in perpetual geostationary orbit around that black hole without falling in. Discuss."

"That's bad, yeah?" I gather.

"A black hole is a dead star," the Doctor explains. "It folds in on itself, collapsing, and the matter becomes so dense that it starts taking everything else with it. Nothing in the universe can escape it – light, gravity, time – everything just gets pulled inside and crushed."

"That's pleasant," I mutter.

"We should be dead," the Doctor says.

"Well, here we are, beyond the laws of physics," Ida sighs. "Welcome aboard."

"But, if there's no atmosphere," I ask, "what is that?"

"Stars breaking up, gas clouds…we've got whole solar systems being ripped apart and sucked into that black hole over our heads."

"Okay. That sounds like a science fiction movie or something."

"Just a bit, yeah," Scooti agrees, nodding. She and the rest of the crew gather around the computer screen. The Doctor joins in, sliding on his glasses. I hang back a bit, crossing my arms and leaning against the wall. I know I'm not much help in the field of…scientific things and whatnot.

"That's the black hole officially designated K37 Gen 5," Zach says, gesturing animatedly at the screen. A hologram pops up, showing the black hole. Just then, Toby returns, announcing that the rocket link is fine. The crew nods and turns back to the screen.

"Some people call this planet 'Kroptor'. It means 'the bitter pill'. The black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon, tricked into swallowing the planet. But it was only spit out again because it was poison," Ida explains.

"'The bitter pill'," I muse. "That's clever. I like it."

"We are _so _far out," the Doctor realizes, like he can't quite believe it. "Lost in the universe, practically. How did you even _get_ here?"

"We flew in, see?" Zach shows him. The hologram above the console changes. A glowing green sphere appears, and waves of red circles are radiating off of it in a cone shape. Zach continues, explaining. "The planet generates a gravity field that keeps it in constant balance with the black hole. The field extends out here, like a funnel, into clear space. That was our way in."

"You flew down that thing?" I clarify. "Like…a children's slide, on a playground, or a rollercoaster?" He nods.

"The ship should've been ripped to pieces, really. We lost our captain, that's why I'm in charge…"

"And you're great at it," Scooti assures him. Zach brushes off the praise with a far off look. I wonder if he was close to the previous captain.

"But if the gravity funnel closes, there's no way for us to get back. We'd be trapped here for the rest of our lives, couldn't go home," Danny says.

"Way to be optimistic," I interject sarcastically.

"We did have fun speculating about that," Scooti adds in the same tone, rolling her eyes.

"That has to take a phenomenal amount of power, though!" the Doctor protests, clearly confused. He won't stop until he figures this one out, I can tell. I sigh, but I can't help the tiny smile that crosses my face as he scrunches his face up. He gestures to the controls. "Can I?"

"Knock yourself out," Ida shrugs, tossing him what appears to be a calculator. I watch the Doctor jab and buttons, occasionally glancing up at the hologram of the planet.

"Your refreshment," I hear suddenly. I whip my head to the side to find one of the aliens from before. It…he…she…(whatever, let's go with he, I've got a fifty-fifty shot) holds out a cup to me.

"Thanks," I say. "What was your name?"

"We have no name. We are as one." With that, he turns and walks away. I walk over to Danny, who's fiddling with a scroll of some sort.

"Hey, what are they called?" I ask. He laughs.

"Oh, come on. Where've you been living, under a rock? Everyone's got one!"

"I don't. Really, what are they?"

"They're the Ood."

"I'm sorry, the what?"

"The Ood," he repeats, stressing the word. I stare blankly at him.

"Well," I say. "That's…ood."

He grins, laughing. "Very ood," he agrees. "But they are handy. They work the mine shafts; do all the drilling, supervision, maintenance and such. Basic slave race, they were born for it." I frown.

"An entire _race_ of slaves? You've got slaves?"

"Oh, don't start," Scooti cuts in, slightly amused. "You're like one of that lot, friends of the Ood."

"Maybe I am," I retort, somewhat annoyed. "Are the slaves absolutely necessary? Humans are perfectly capable of doing work on their own!"

"See, the thing is, the Ood would die off if we didn't give them orders. They need us to," Danny tries to explain. I shake my head, not believing it for a moment. I turn to talk to another Ood.

"Seriously?" I ask. "You actually like getting bossed around?"

"It is all we crave."

"But why?" I stress.

"We have nothing else in life."

"That's not true," I protest, shaking my head. "I know it isn't, because I was in the same position as you once – I thought I had nothing left, I was all on my own, and I just gave up. I almost didn't want to live anymore. But _never_ would I let someone tell me what to do. _That's_ what you have left. You have a choice."

"Ha!" the Doctor exclaims in triumph, slicing through the tension and seriousness of the conversation. He walks over to me with a proud grin on his face. "See, I figured it out! To generate that gravity field, and the funnel, you'd need a power source with an inverted self-extrapolating reflex of six to the power of six every six seconds."

"The only word I understood out of your mouth was 'six'," I inform him. "I am completely lost."

"You should be, because it's impossible."

"It took us two years to work that out!" Zach cries. I put my hand on my forehead, shaking it.

"You had to say that, didn't you? The last thing this one needs is an ego boost," I say, brushing my hair back. I cock and eyebrow and nod toward the Doctor, who pretends to look insulted.

"Hey! I'm very good, it's true!"

"That's why we're here," Ida says. "We're drilling to find the power source. It's right beneath us, buried under ten miles of solid rock."

"It gives off readings of ninety stats on the Blazen Scale," Zach puts in.

"The blazing scale?" I ask. The Doctor shakes his head, repeating it.

"Blazen," he corrects. I nod.

"We could revolutionize modern science!" Ida continues excitedly.

"We could use it to fuel the Empire!" Jefferson adds.

"Or start a war," the Doctor points out, removing his glasses and putting them back in his pocket.

"It's buried beneath us. In the darkness, waiting." We all turn to face Toby, who has been completely silent the whole time. Something about him unnerves me. He's quiet and guarded, giving off a mysterious air about him, but he knows more than he's letting on.

It takes less than a second for it to click – he reminds me of Fang. The way everyone seems surprised to hear him talking, the way he seems to have about the same emotional capacity as a rock…but I can tell, there's something more underneath. On the other hand, I don't know what that something is, and it scares me.

The Doctor glances at me, noticing my careful gaze on Toby. I quickly make a joke to brush it off, not wanting him to worry.

"What was your job, then? Chief dramatist?"

The Doctor smirks, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Whatever it is down there is not natural," Toby says seriously. "This planet once supported life, eons ago, before human beings had ever existed."

"That lettering on the wall, that was you?" the Doctor asks him. Toby nods.

"I copied it from bits and pieces we found from the drilling, but I can't translate it."

"Neither can I," the Doctor says, "and that's saying something."

"There was some form of civilization. They buried something, and now it's reaching out, calling us in," Toby finishes. He shoves his hands deep in his pockets, and I can tell he's done talking. That's what Fang always did after one of the rare instances when he spoke up.

"And you came," the Doctor smiles.

"How could we not?" Ida says. Zach flicks a switch and the hologram above the console finally fades away. The room gets a bit brighter, the lights having been dim in order to view the hologram better.

"So, when it all comes down to it, why did you come here?" the Doctor says happily. "Why did you do that? Why? I'll tell you why. Because it was _there_. Brilliant! Excuse me, ah, Zach, was it?"

"That's me," Zach nods.

"Just stand there, 'cos I'm gonna hug you. Is that alright?"

"Um…I suppose so," Zach shrugs. The Doctor throws his arms around Zach, beaming, and the rest of us stare on awkwardly. Ida, Danny, and Scooti smirk, holding back laughter. Jefferson stares on, extremely confused and probably weirded out by the scene. Toby just cocks an eyebrow, the only clue to his emotions.

"You human beings, you're amazing!" the Doctor exclaims. He releases Zach, thanking him.

"Apart from that," the Doctor continues, "you're all completely mad. You really should pack your bags, get back in your ship, and get out of here."

"You can talk!" Ida scoffs. "How the hell did _you_ get here?"

"It's a long story," I tell her. "His ship, it kind of just…appears…"

"We can show you, we parked down the corridor from…um…oh! Habitation area three!"

"Do you mean storage six?" Zach asks. My heart sinks as I realize. _Storage five through eight…_

"Yeah! I told you it looked like a cupboard, didn't I Rose?" the Doctor remembers cheerfully. He turns to me with a grin that I don't return. Then his smile dissipates when it dawns on him. "You said storage five through eight…"

He turns on his heel and runs off. I glance at the crew.

"I'll be right back," I say, dashing after him. I race through the doors that the Doctor leaves swinging open, finally catching up to him at the next door, furiously pressing a button and hitting at the door. I put my hands on his shoulders, dragging him away from it.

"Doctor, just look," I say, breathing heavily. I point to a small, circular window in the door.

Outside, it's dark and dusty. There's a gaping chasm in the ground.

"The earthquake, this section collapsed," he says, swallowing.

"She's got to be out there, though. Down in the chasm."

The Doctor nods, taking my hand and entwining our fingers.

"I'm going to get her."

We walk back to the control room and the Doctor rounds on Zach.

"The ground gave way. My TARDIS must have fallen right down into the heart of the planet. You've got robot drills heading the same way!"

"We can't divert the drilling," Zach says, refusing to look either of us in the eye.

"But I _need_ my ship! It's all I've got left! Literally, the only thing!"

"Doctor, _we've_ only got the resources to drill_ one_ central shaft down to the power source, and that's it. No diversions, no distractions, no exceptions. Your machine is lost. All I can do is offer you a lift if we ever get to leave this place, and that is the end of it!" Zach snaps. He leaves the room.

"I'll, uh, put you on the duty roster. We need someone in the laundry," Ida says quietly, going after him. Everyone else is gone – the Doctor and I are the only two left in the room. I lean against the control panel, my hands in my pockets and staring at the ground. The Doctor comes to stand next to me, leaning forward against the console.

"That's not true, what you said," I tell him quietly. He looks at me. "The TARDIS isn't the only thing you have left. You've got me. I'm never leaving you."

"I've trapped you here," he says guiltily. I shake my head.

"Don't you dare. Don't even _try_ to blame yourself for this. It's not your fault; there was nothing you could do. And you don't need to worry about me. Yeah, we're on a planet that shouldn't exist, under a black hole, and no way out, but we'll be okay. I know we will. I trust you, more than anyone I've ever known."

He pulls me into a tight hug. I wrap my arms around him, holding him tight, trying to express to him that I mean it when I say I'm never going to let go. I'm in too deep now, there's no going back. This is my life now. I chose the Doctor – I always will. I just hope he chooses me too.

**~DW~**

Later on, the Doctor and I sit ourselves at a table in the canteen area. He stares at the writing on the wall across the room. I can practically see smoke coming out of his ears. I decide to give him a moment, realizing how hungry I am. I join Scooti by a hatch in the wall where she's getting food. She hands me a tray.

"Help yourself," she says, smiling. "Just don't have the green. Or the orange." She laughs, walking off to have a seat. I look through the hatch at the Ood who is serving food.

"Um, I'll have some of that, thanks," I say, pointing to some sloppy blue goop. It's the thing that looks the most appetizing, and that's saying something. But I suppose I've had worse, it's better than searching through dumpsters and trash cans on the streets.

"Would you like some sauce with that?" the Ood asks. Okayy…blue goop gets sauce.

"Uh, sure…" I say, letting the Ood pour some sauce on the tray.

"Do you get paid?" I ask curiously. "Do they give you money?"

"The beast and his armies will rise from the pit to make war against God," the Ood says politely.

"Really? That's lovely…" I say, and then pause. "Wait, _what?_"

The Ood taps his communication orb before responding. "Apologies. I said, 'I hope you enjoy your meal.'"

"Yeah…" I mutter, picking up my tray and walking back over to the Doctor at a table. I spoon the blue…stuff into my mouth hesitantly. I realize it tastes like blueberry Jell-O. I finish off the stuff quickly, practically starving. I hope the crew doesn't mind the fact that I need a few thousand extra calories a day.

"You might wanna watch this," Ida calls from across the room, grabbing my attention. The Doctor and I look over to her as she pulls a lever, opening shutters over our heads to reveal the black hole. The room floods with warm red light.

"There, on the edge," Ida explains, "that red cloud used to be the Scarlet System. Home to the Peluchi, a mighty civilization spanning a billion years…disappearing forever. Their planets and suns consumed. Ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed its passing."

The room is silent for a moment, and she reaches to pull the lever back to restore the ceiling.

"Err, no," the Doctor stops her. "Could you leave it open? Just for a bit. I won't go mad, I promise."

"Sure, of course," Ida smiles. She turns to Scooti. "Check the lockdown. Jefferson, sign off the airlock seals for me."

All three of them head their separate ways, yet again, leaving me and the Doctor alone in a room.

"It's weird," I say. "Mickey made me sit through a number of science fiction films…in the movies, black holes were always gateways to another universe or something."

"Not this one. It just eats."

"Long way from home," I sigh, thinking of Mum, Total, and Angel. But I'm not worried about them; they'll be fine without me. They don't need me, not really.

"Go that way, turn right, keep going for…say, five hundred years, then you'd reach Earth," the Doctor says, pointing. I stare up in the direction of his finger. Then I pull my phone out of my pocket.

"No signal. That's the first time we've gone out of range. Mind you, even if I could…what would I say? What would I tell them?" I mumble to myself. I turn to the Doctor with a halfhearted laugh. "Can you build another TARDIS?"

"They weren't built, they were grown. And with my own planet gone, we're kind of…stuck."

I take in the new information. It's not every day the Doctor mentions something about his home planet.

"What was it called?"

"Hmm?"

"Your planet, what was it called?"

"Oh," he says, slightly surprised. "I haven't told you?" I shake my head.

"Gallifrey," he tells me. "It was called Gallifrey."

"Gallifrey," I whisper, trying out the word on my lips. I don't know what I expected it to be, but it seems…right. We get silent again, and I can't stand it. The Doctor and I have never _not_ had something to talk about before.

"This really could be worse," I say. "Zach did say he could give us a lift."

"Then what?"

"I dunno. Find a planet, get a job, live a life…same as the rest of the universe."

"Pfft. I'd have to settle down. In a house or something, a proper house with…with…with…with _doors_ and things. Carpets! Me! Living in a _house_," the Doctor muses. I laugh. "Now that…is terrifying."

"You'd have to get a mortgage!" I tease. He stares at me, eyes wide with horror.

"No," he breathes.

"Oh yes."

"I am dying," he decides. "That's it. I am dying, it is all over."

"Well, I'd have to get one too. Staying in one place for a long time isn't exactly my thing. I dunno, we could…it could be the same one. We could share…or whatever," I stutter. The air is suddenly awkward as we both realize what we're discussing. We settle into silence again.

"I promised Jackie I would always take you back home," he says suddenly. I look at him.

"If I'm honest, I don't think I've ever really…had a home, you know? I mean, yeah, I stayed with Mum and stuff in London…and before I was on the run, I was with the Flock. We had a house in the Colorado Mountains, so no one could find us. I guess that was home for a little while. But eventually I left there, too. And I'm not saying I don't love Mum, or Angel, or whatever, I just mean…" I trail off, sighing. "I never belonged anywhere, not until I met you. The moment you offered, I wanted to come, and I knew it. I only turned you down because I was thinking of Mum and Mickey. Then you came back, and I thought, 'You know what? Come off it.' For once, I put myself before anybody else, and it was the best decision I ever made. You showed me the universe, that's more than I ever could have asked for. Besides, even if you hadn't, I would have left home in the end. Everyone does."

"Not to end up stuck here," he points out.

"Well, stuck with you, that's not so bad," I tell him. He glances at me unsurely.

"Yeah?"

"Yes," I answer firmly. The Doctor smiles.

Then my phone rings. We stare at it in the middle of the table, shocked for a moment. Then I reach to pick it up.

"_He is awake_," says a deep, growling voice. I slam the phone down on the table, freaked out. The Doctor stares at me, alarmed. I swallow shakily.

"I have a feeling some bad shit is about to go down."

**~DW~**

"Evening!" the Doctor says quickly as he strides through the door to the Ood Habitation room. Danny sits at a computer, working.

"The mysterious couple! How are you, then, settling in?" he asks.

"Sorry, straight to business," the Doctor continues, ignoring the question (and not acknowledging the fact that Danny called us a couple), "the Ood – how do they communicate? I mean, with each other?"

I glance over a railing to the room filled with Ood beneath us. They're lined up in an orderly fashion, completely still. We're up on a balcony, made like the TARDIS grating, and steps lead down to the lines of Ood.

"They're empaths," Danny shrugs. "There's a low level telepathic field connecting them, but it doesn't do them much good. They're a herd race, like cattle."

"Can it pick up messages, the telepathic field?" the Doctor asks.

"I was having dinner, and one of the Ood said something…well, odd," I add.

"Oh," Danny grins, amused. "And odd Ood."

"And then I got something else on my…err…communicator thing," I continue.

"We've got whole star systems burning up around us, it's probably nothing. Just a stray transmission," Danny says. We stare at him, not convinced. He sighs and continues. "Look, if there was something wrong, it would show. We monitor the telepathic field; it's the only way to look after them. They don't even tell us when they're ill, they're so stupid."

"Monitor the field, that's this thing?" the Doctor asks, pointing at the computer. The words 'Basic 5' read across the screen.

"Yeah, like I said, it's low level telepathy. Only Basic Five," Danny repeats. As he's speaking, I watch the number change to six.

"That's not a five," I state. The number continues to rise steadily. "Ten, twenty…they've gone up to Basic Thirty! Now, I'll be the first to admit I'm no good a math, but thirty is a significantly larger number than five."

Danny's eyes are wide, and he looks completely bewildered. We all turn to look at the Ood below us. They stare, all completely silent and still.

"So, is anyone going to tell me what the hell Basic Thirty means?" I ask.

"It means that they're shouting, screaming inside their heads…" Danny says. The Doctor raises an eyebrow.

"Or something's shouting at them."

"But where could it be coming from? I mean…what did it say to you?" Danny asks, typing away on the keyboard, but not breaking eye contact with me.

"Something about a beast in a pit."

"And on your communicator?"

"'He is awake.'"

"And you will worship him," chorus the Ood. My eyes widen and I turn to look at them. Danny is more confused than I've ever seen any person be before, but the Doctor just watches them curiously.

"Worship who? Who's talking to you, who is it?" There's no reply. The Doctor heads down the steps to get closer to the Ood. With an uneasy glance at Danny, I follow after him, watching the Ood cautiously. When I'm a few steps from the bottom, the ground shakes, and I lose my balance, falling forward. The Doctor just barely catches me, and I cling to his jacket.

"Are you alright?" he asks, alarmed. I nod, trying to calm myself down again after the mini heart-attack.

"Emergency hull breach. Emergency hull breach," the computer announces. Danny speaks into his wrist communication device.

"Which section?"

"Everyone, evacuate eleven to thirteen! We've got a breach! The base is open, repeat, the base is open!" comes Zach's stacic-y voice.

"Come on!" Danny cries. I grab the Doctor's hand tightly and we rush up the steps, Danny leading the way through the canteen area and back toward the control room. We catch sight of Ida, Jefferson, and Toby at the end of a hall. Jefferson holds the door open, pushing us through quickly. Finally, we stop running and catch our breath a bit. Toby falls through the door, not exactly graceful, and Jefferson slams the door immediately.

"Breach sealed. Breach sealed. Oxygen levels normal," the computer informs us. We all breathe a sigh of relief. Thank god, there was no way we were going to make it to the control room on time.

"What happened, what was it?" the Doctor asks.

"Hull breach!" Jefferson supplies. "We were open to the elements. A couple more minutes and we would've been toast!"

"It wasn't an earthquake, so what was it?"

"We've lost sections eleven to thirteen. Everyone alright?" Zach asks over the comms.

"We've got everyone but Scooti," Jefferson says. "Scooti, report." Static and silence. "Scooti Manista? That's an order. Report." Still, no reply. My heart sinks in my chest.

"She's alright, I picked up her bio chip," Zach says. "She's in Habitation Three. I'll go check on her, she might be unconscious."

"It's not often I say this, but we all need a drink," Jefferson sighs. He, Ida, and Danny leave the room.

"I'll be there in just a minute," I tell the Doctor, waving him on. I glance to Toby, still breathing heavily on the ground. He stares at the back of his hands like he's afraid of them. The Doctor nods, going after the others. I crouch down next to Toby.

"Are you alright, Toby? You look a bit shaken up," I say. He looks up at me, wide eyed.

"I don't – I dunno, I – I was working and then I can't remember. All – all that noise, the room was falling apart, there was no air…" he stumbles with his words, but speaks quickly. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, you're okay now," I say softly. "Come on, up we go." I grab his hands and pull him to his feet. I link my arm through his to support him. There's a nagging feeling at the back of my mind – this isn't the Toby I was observing earlier. He had a resolve just like Fang's, stony and guarded, but now it's completely crumbled. Something must have really spooked him if he's this scared.

We join the others in the canteen room, which is slightly chaotic. Everyone is rushing around, all talking over each other, looking for Scooti.

"There's no sign of her, but her chip says she's in the area!" Jefferson cries.

"Scooti, please respond. If you can hear this please respond," Ida says desperately into her communication device.

"I've found her," the Doctor tells everyone solemnly. I follow his gaze toward the ceiling.

"Oh, god…" I stare up through the glass window. Scooti's body floats just outside the window. I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly, my fists clenched. Then I tear my gaze away. Ida pulls the lever to close the shutters wordlessly, and Jefferson speaks quietly into his wrist device.

"Captain…report Officer Scootori Manista PKD…deceased. 43K2.1."

"She was twenty years old," Ida whispers. Silence envelops the room. Not a sound comes from anywhere.

"Wait…" I notice. "The drilling has stopped."

"We've made it," Ida says quietly. "Point Zero."

**~DW~**

"I want to come," I beg. The Doctor already stands before me, wearing an orange spacesuit, ready to go investigate the planet with Ida. Zach agreed to let him go, mainly so that Ida wouldn't be alone.

"You can't, Rose. You have to stay here and help Zach," he says.

"But…" I start, but he holds up a hand.

"I'm going to be fine. You're going to be fine. I'll be back soon, I promise," he assures me. I sigh, still uneasy.

"I don't like this at all."

"Alright everyone, going down in two! Positions!" Zach says over an intercom. The Doctor adjusts the device on his wrist.

"Been ages since I've worn one of these," he grins.

"I want that spacesuit back in one piece, are we clear?" I say flatly, crossing my arms. He gives me a salute and slides on his helmet.

"Yes sir."

"I'm not messing around. Seriously, if this ends badly, you are going to get _such_ a slap…"

"I'll see you later," he says firmly, with confidence I wish I could have at the moment. He smiles brightly at me and I can't help but give him a soft smile in return.

"Not if I see you first," I laugh slightly. Then, after a moment's hesitation, I pull his head down and place a quick kiss on his helmet. I pull back shyly and he watches me carefully, but his gaze is soft. This may be the closest I ever get to telling him how I feel.

The Doctor and Ida step inside a kind of elevator, and Jefferson closes the door behind them. I hang back slightly, waving back at the Doctor while he waves at me. Zach counts down from five, and the lift descends. I watch the Doctor disappear from foot to head, then turn to the computer screen that shows the track of the lift as it goes the rest of the way down. My heart seems to sink with it. I don't know why I've got such a bad feeling about this – I've been separated from the Doctor plenty of times before.

I position myself leaning on a railing next to a speaker for the intercom. Jefferson is across the room at a computer, and Toby is sitting in a chair, staring at his hands.

"You've gone past the oxygen field. You're on your own," Zach says.

"Yeah, don't forget to breathe," I joke, though I'm really worried out of my mind.

"Stay off the intercom, Rose," Zach says, and I can practically hear him rolling his eyes.

"Fat chance," I laugh. I open my mouth to continue, but the room starts shaking violently. I lose my balance, crashing to the ground. Jefferson helps me up once the quake is over. I grasp the speaker to the intercom tightly.

"Doctor? Doctor, are you there?" It's silent for a moment, and Zach speaks up.

"Ida, report to me. Doctor?" he orders. I bite my lip nervously, waiting for a response.

"It's all right," comes the Doctor's voice. "We've made it, coming out of the capsule now." I sigh with relief, letting out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. Every tensed muscle in my body relaxes slightly, and I lean forward on the railing, brushing my hair back.

"What does it look like down there?" I ask. I really don't care – I just want him to keep talking, so I know he's there.

"Hard to tell," he responds vaguely. "Some sort of cave…cavern…it's massive."

"This should help, gravity globe," Ida offers. There's silence for a moment, then she gasps audibly. "That's…that's…my god, that's beautiful!" I smile.

"Rose, you can tell Toby we've found his civilization," the Doctor says. I turn to Toby in the corner.

"Hear that, Toby? Sounds like you've got plenty of work."

"Good, good. Good," he says, clearly distracted. My brow furrows as I watch him. He's rubbing at the skin on his hands, and even from across the room I can see that he's shaking.

"Concentrate now, people. Keep on the mission," Zach commands. "Ida, what about the power source?" My attention snaps back over to the conversation over the intercom, even though he really isn't talking to me.

"We're awfully close to it, according to my readings. Are you getting any pictures up there?"

"Too much interference. They aren't coming through."

"There's no turning back at this point. We've come this far."

"You had to say that, didn't you?" the Doctor grumbles. "'There's no turning back.' That's worse than 'Nothing could go wrong!' or 'This is gonna be the best Christmas Walford's ever had!'"

"Doctor?" I interrupt.

"What?"

"Shut up. Nobody wants to hear about Walford's Christmas," I inform him. I smirk at his "Hmph."

"Thank you, Rose," Zach says.

"You're very welcome."

"Captain, there's something happening with the Ood," Danny's concerned voice reports.

"What are they doing?"

"They're staring at me. I told them to stop, but they aren't listening."

"Danny, you're a grown man," I say. "Can't you handle being stared at?"

"But the telepathic field, it's at Basic 100! I've double checked, it's true! It's definitely 100!"

"That's impossible," Zach says.

"Oh, you had to say that," I mutter. "'That's impossible' is worse than 'there's no turning back.' What does Basic 100 even mean?"

"They should be dead!" Danny cries.

"Basic 100 is brain death," Jefferson explains, coming to stand next to me for a better listen to the conversation.

"They're safe though, just not moving?" Zach clarifies.

"Yes, sir."

"Keep an eye on them, Danny. Jefferson, keep guard."

"Officer at arms," he says, readying the gun slung around his shoulders.

"You can't fire a gun in here, you'll hit a wall!" I protest.

"I'm firing stock fifteen, only packs upon organics," he assures me. He hands the gun off to one of his security guards, and sends him off toward Danny. Then he grabs another one for himself.

"Jefferson, could I get one of those?"

He looks at me, unsurely. "Do you know how to shoot?"

"Yeah. I've got one of my own, but I don't have those special bullets."

"I shouldn't be doing this, but…" he pulls an extra gun off a rack on the wall and hands it to me. I adjust the strap and sling it over my shoulder. "Be careful."

"Thanks."

"Everything all right up there?" asks the Doctor.

"Yeah, yeah."

"It's fine," Zach sighs.

"Great!" Danny answers sarcastically.

"We've found something. It looks like a metal trap door. Not good – never met a trap door I liked," the Doctor rambles.

"The edge is covered with those symbols that we can't translate," Ida says.

"Does it open?" Zach asks.

"That's usually what trap doors do," the Doctor says.

"Trap door doesn't cover it, Zach. This thing is huge, at least thirty feet in diameter," Ida.

"Is there any way to get it open?" I ask.

"There's no mechanisms…I wouldn't be surprised if the writing would tell us what to do. We just can't read it."

"Hey, Toby, have you had any luck decoding that writing?" I ask, turning to him. He hasn't moved since I last looked at him. His head is in his arms, and if I didn't have advanced hearing, I'm not sure I would've heard his response.

"I know what it says."

"You do? What does it mean?" I ask slowly.

"When did you figure that out?" Jefferson exclaims.

"It doesn't matter. Just tell them," I say. Toby stands slowly. My eyes widen when I see that his skin is covered with the ancient symbols, like a child wrote all over him with permanent marker. His eyes glow red, and his voice is deep and booming when he speaks – the same voice I heard on my phone.

"These are the words of the Beast, and he has woken. He is the heart that beats in the darkness; he is the blood that will never cease. And now he will rise."

Jefferson acts quickly, pointing his gun at Toby.

"Officer, stand down. I repeat, _stand down_," Jefferson orders.

"What is it?" the Doctor asks urgently. "Rose? What's happening? What's going on? Rose!"

I walk around behind Jefferson slowly, not taking my eyes off Toby the whole time. My hand searches blindly for the intercom button.

"Toby – he's got that writing all over him. His face, his arms, it's everywhere. His eyes are glowing all red, we have no idea what is going on right now," I report calmly. Toby cocks his head to the side, staring at Jefferson.

"Tell me, Mr. Jefferson, did your wife ever forgive you?"

"I don't know what you mean," Jefferson lies through clenched teeth. I can hear it in his voice; he knows exactly what Toby is referring to.

"Let me tell you a secret," Toby hisses. "She never did."

"Officer, you are going to stand down and be confined," Jefferson repeats.

"Or what?"

"Or under the jurisdiction of Condition Red, I am authorized to shoot you."

"But how many can you kill?" Toby roars. The symbols printed on his skin evaporate into smoke, which swirls over to three Ood on the other side of the room. Toby collapses, coughing. Jefferson turns his gun toward the Ood.

"We are the legion of the Beast," they say in unison.

"Rose? Rose? What's going on? Rose?!" the Doctor cries.

"Report! Report!" Zach shouts. "Somebody report!"

"The Legion shall be many. And the Legion shall be few," the Ood continue. I speak into the comm slowly.

"It's the Ood…"

"Sir, we have contamination in the livestock," Jefferson says.

"Yeah…what he said…" I agree. "Doctor, they look like they're possessed. They're not listening to us."

"He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time. Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Kroptor. Some may call him Satan, or Lucifer, or the Bringer of Despair. The Deathless Prince. The Bringer of Night…"

"Did they say _Satan?_" I repeat incredulously, my eyes widening. "As in, _the Devil_? The actual _Devil?_ Like, with hell and fire and everything?"

"Captain, the Ood, they're out of control!" Danny cries. There's the sound of screaming from his end.

"Back up to the door!" Jefferson says. "Hurry!"

We back up to the door as quickly as we can. The Ood are advancing on us while they talk.

"I shall become manifest. I shall walk in might. My Legions shall swarm across worlds. I am the sin and the temptation and the desire. I am the pain and the loss and the dead will come."

"We're moving!" Zach shouts. "The entire planet is moving! The gravity field is going, we're losing orbit! We're gonna fall into the black hole!"

I struggle with the door, which refuses to come open. Jefferson urges me to keep at it.

"Goddamned door, just open!" I shout, frustrated and panicky.

"Door sealed," the computer repeats over and over again.

"No shit the door is sealed! Try making the door _un_sealed!"

"I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more. The pit is open, and I am free," say the Ood. Jefferson and I exchange worried glances, and I give up on the door and raise my gun next to his.

"We're screwed."


	31. Kroptor

**A/N: OMFG SEASON FINALE PEOPLE I AM JUST GOING TO LIE IN A CORNER AND DIE GOODBYE MY FELLOW WHOVIANS AASEUTYIFG&BUQPW(HYF*IEBQYPG !BH*)}{ _W|)  
QDYHG{FP VBI"H  
JK! _}+ JU)GH}({JO: WK?!QE**

**I AM NOT OKAY. **

**P.S. Next chapter might be kinda late because I need to finish my four page social studies report on Sir Isaac Newton and my three page English report on a career I would like to have in the future…grrr I hate school work sometimes. Sorry guys :/**

**P.P.S. HOLY FREAKING CRAP A HUNDRED AND FIFTY REVIEWS! WOWWWWWWW I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY! THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER REVIEWED, FAVORITED, OR FOLLOWED AND IS STICKING WITH THIS STORY :D**

**~DW~**

"Fire!" Jefferson says. I clench my teeth and pull the trigger, the gun jerking back slightly with every shot, but I hold it steady. The Ood fall dead to the ground. I rush over to the intercom immediately, wanting to know if the Doctor is alright.

"Doctor? Doctor, are you there? Ida? Can you hear me? Doctor?" I ask. The voice of the computer chimes through the room.

"Open door 25."

"Oh, so _now_ you open the damn door," I mumble. Then I realize. Who's coming through the door?! I swing my gun toward the door, tensing up, noticing Jefferson doing the same. Danny stumbles into the room and shuts the door quickly behind him. I sigh, lowering the gun.

"It's only me, but they're coming. The Ood, they've gone absolutely mad! Every one of them, all fifty!" Danny cries. Jefferson tries to push past him to get the door open. A female guard in the room joins him.

"What are you doing? They're armed, they're dangerous!" Danny protests. "They're using the interface device as a weapon!"

Jefferson yanks the door open to find the Ood standing on the other side. The other guard who had been helping him gets attacked by the Ood. It uses its communication orb to electrocute her. She falls lifeless to the floor, and Jefferson is firing at the Ood before she even hits the ground.

"Jefferson, what's happening?" asks Zach.

Closing the door on the now dead Ood, Jefferson speaks into his wrist device.

"I'm running low on ammunition. How about you?"

"All I've got is a bolt gun. With one bolt. Fat lot of good that is," Zach replies.

"Sir, given the emergency, I recommend strategy nine."

"Strategy nine agreed. We need to get everyone together. Rose, have you gotten any word from Ida and the Doctor?"

"I can't get a reply," I say, worry seeping into my trembling voice. I bite my lip nervously, my heart beating furiously. It's taking everything I have not to flip out right now. All I want is for the Doctor to be here next to me. "I keep trying, there's just _nothing…_"

The intercom crackles to life suddenly. I can hear the Doctor's voice, though slightly clouded by static.

"No! Sorry, I'm fine. Still here."

"You could have said, you bloody idiot," I cry, sighing with relief.

"Sorry. The both of us are fine. The trap door has opened up."

"How deep is it?" Zach asks.

"It's hard to tell. We can't see the bottom from here."

"Did you hear what the voice said? 'The pit is open,'" I say, my voice shaking slightly. "It said _Satan_. Tell me there is no such thing."

"Come on Rose," the Doctor says, firmly but not unkind. "Keep it together."

"Doctor, tell me there's no such thing," I repeat. "Is there?" The question is met with silence and my heart pounds in my chest. I've faced a lot of terrible things in my life, but the actual _Devil_…

For the first time in a long time, I feel true terror coursing through my veins.

"Ida, I recommend that you withdraw immediately," Zach says.

"We've come all this way, though!" she protests.

"Okay, that was an _order_. _Withdraw._ With that hole open, the entire planet shifted. One more inch and we get sucked into a black hole. Get back up here right now!"

"Well, up there with the Ood is no better!"

"I'm initiating strategy nine! I need the two of you back up here immediately, no…"

Zach is cut off by a short beeping sound, and static that follows.

"What just happened? Ida? Doctor?" I ask quickly. There's no response. "Zach, what's going on? What was that noise?"

"She turned off her wrist band!"

"What? So we don't have a way to communicate with them now?" I ask, alarmed. I tense up, clenching my teeth nervously.

"I'm going to try and override it. Give me a minute."

"Oh, my god. I am going to kick something," I mumble, gripping the yellow intercom speaker so tightly that my knuckles turn white.

Suddenly, there's another beeping sound and the static disappears.

"Rose, we're coming back," says the Doctor. I sigh with relief, leaning my head back.

"I am going to kick your skinny ass for ever going down there, I hope you know that."

I turn around when I hear a clicking sound behind me. Jefferson is holding his gun in Toby's face. I quickly drop the intercom speaker and walk over.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"He's infected! He brought that thing on board, you saw it!"

"Put the gun down, Jefferson," I demand. "We are not going to start shooting our own people."

"We are if we need to," he says coldly.

"If you shoot him, you're going to shoot me too," I tell him, crossing my arms. "Look him in the eyes. It's gone now, it passed into the Ood, and don't try to deny it because I know you saw it."

Jefferson hesitates, considering. He finally lowers his gun with a sigh. "First sign of trouble, I'm going to shoot him." He moves back toward the intercom. I look down at Toby's trembling form and kneel next to him. He watches me, his eyes wide and frightened.

"You're okay now," I reassure him, wrapping my arms around him. He clings to me tightly, still shaking. When he speaks, his voice is thick, like he's near to tears.

"It was so _angry…_there was so much fury and rage and death…"

"Shh," I say softly, rubbing his back comfortingly. "You don't have to explain right now."

"But it was him," he continues in barely more than a whisper. "It was the Devil."

**~DW~**

"We're in," Ida says. "Bring us up." I look to the spot where the lift sank down to the planet. They're coming back up now – the Doctor will be back, and I can stop worrying about him. He'll get us out, I know he will.

"Ascension in three…two…one…" Jefferson trails off when the lights go out. The machine shuts down.

"What's happening?" I ask.

"I don't know! We've never lost power before; we've been working off the excess energy that was given off by the power source they went looking for…" Jefferson says.

The computer that Jefferson had been working on earlier came to life. A group of Ood stand together on the screen, their communication orbs flashing while they talk. But it's not their voice that comes out.

"This is the Darkness. This is my domain," says the Beast. "You little things that live in the light, clinging to your feeble Suns, which die in the end. Only the Darkness remains."

"This is Captain Zachary Cross Flane of Sanctuary Base Six representing the Torchwood archive. You will identify yourself."

"You know my name."

"What do you want?"

"You will die here. All of you. This planet is your grave."

"That's him. It's him. It's him…" Toby says, his voice small and his entire body trembling. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"If you're the Beast, then answer me this: which one?" asks the Doctor. "The universe has grown since you've been gone. There are more religions than even I could name. Archivits, Pordonity, Christianity, Pash-Pash, New Judaism, Sanclar, Church of the Tin Vagabond – which devil are you?"

"All of them."

"What, then, you're the truth behind the myth?"

"This one knows me – as I know him. The killer of his own kind."

_How could he possibly know about that? If he knows the Doctor killed his own people, what does he know about me?_

"How did you end up on this rock?" the Doctor inquires, choosing to ignore what the Beast said.

"The disciples of Light rose up against me. They chained me here in the pit for all eternity."

"When was this?"

"Before time."

"What does that mean?"

"Before time."

"What does 'before time' _mean_?"

"Before light and time and space and matter. Before this universe was created."

"That's impossible. No life could have existed back then."

"You know nothing. All of you, so small. The Captain, scared of command."

Zach.

"The soldier, haunted by the eyes of his wife."

That must be Jefferson.

"The scientist, still running from daddy."

Ida?

"The little boy who lied…"

I see Danny shifting uncomfortably in my peripheral vision.

"The virgin…"

Well, the only one left is Toby, because I really don't think he's referring to me…

"And the mutant hybrid. The lost girl, who wanders too far to ever have a home. The experiment that spends her entire life running and hiding…the valiant child who will die in battle so very soon."

_Me._

"Doctor, what does it mean?" I ask, my voice trembling. Overwhelming fear consumes me. _Die in battle? What battle? I've made it this far in life, I don't want to die now, I can't die now…I can't end up like Max did…_

"Rose, don't listen," he says quietly.

"No, Doctor, tell me! What does it mean?"

"You will die," says the Beast. "And I will live."

The Ood on the computer screen flicker away for a moment, and another image pops up on the screen. A horned beast roars loudly.

_The Devil. The _actual_ Devil. _

I step backwards, my entire body shaking.

"What the hell was that?" Danny asks, terrified. His voice comes out an octave higher than usual.

"That thing was inside my head…" Toby moans, trembling.

"Doctor, what did it mean?" I demand more forcefully, my question still unanswered, but the terror in my voice is clear.

"What do we do?" Danny cries.

"Captain, what's the situation on strategy nine?" Jefferson asks.

"We've lost pictures," Zach reports.

"Did anyone get…" Ida starts.

"Jefferson?" Zach calls.

A loud screech emits from the intercom. Everyone silences immediately.

"If you want voices in the dark, listen to mine," the Doctor says. "That thing was playing off basic fears – darkness, childhood nightmares, all that stuff."

"That's how the Devil works," Danny points out.

"Or a good psychologist," the Doctor retorts.

"But how did it know about my father?" Ida asks.

"And me, Doctor. It knew about me," I add, worried. "It called me a mutant hybrid. How did it know? How could it have possibly known that? What did it mean?"

"What makes his version of the truth any better than mine? I'll tell you what I see – brilliant humans. Humans who travel all the way across space, flying right into orbit around a black hole, just for the sake of discovery! That's amazing, do you hear me? Amazing. The captain, his officer, his elder, his genius, his friends – all with one advantage. The Beast is alone. We are not. If we can use that to fight against him…"

_BANG!_

Jefferson, Danny, Toby and I all turn around quickly. The cable that brings the lift up and down has snapped, and it falls into the darkness below.

"Doctor!" I cry into the intercom. "We lost the cable, are you okay? Doctor?"

"The comms are down, Rose, it's no use," Zach says. "I've still got life signs, but we've lost the capsule."

_No. No, I refuse to believe it. The Doctor will answer me if I keep calling for him, he always does. Always._

"Doctor, come on, please – say something. Are you there? Please be there, please. You can't be gone; you're all I have left out here, _please_…"

"There's no way out," Zach sighs, his voice gloomy. "They're stuck down there."

"You've got more cable, haven't you? We can use that to pull them back up…"

"They're ten miles down. We haven't got enough."

"Do you have an oxygen mask? What's the atmosphere like? Maybe I can get them!"

"How the hell would you intend on doing that?"

"I can fly!" I cry. Jefferson, Danny, and Toby look at me like I'm insane. "Seriously! You think I'm joking! The Beast called me a mutant hybrid for a reason! I'm only 98 percent human; the other two is avian DNA! I've got wings! I can fly down the shaft and bring them back up. I'm stronger than your average human, too. I've got pyrokenesis, I can breathe underwater, I've got super speed, and I can stick to things. Seriously. I can climb on the wall like freaking Spider Man."

"Jefferson, is she absolutely delirious? Drunk off something? Do we even have alcohol on board?" Zach asks seriously.

"I don't know, sir."

I cross my arms, cocking an eyebrow as I spread my wings. I hold out a hand, watching flames spark from my finger tips before putting them out. The three men's eyes widen. Danny just freezes. Toby makes a small, confused noise. Jefferson nods slowly, replying to Jefferson.

"She was not kidding, sir. I can see it with my own eyes."

"How the hell…?" Zach begins, but I cut him off.

"That's a story for another time. We have more important matters at hand! Like how the hell we're going to get them back!"

I stare silently down the lift shaft, a lump growing in my throat. Tears build up, threatening to spill over. I concentrate on inhaling and exhaling slowly, every breath shaky. Why does this always happen? Why do I always lose everyone I care about?

A loud bang snaps me out of my daze. Everyone in the room look over at the door.

"The Ood are cutting the door bolts," Zach says. "They're breaking in."

"Same over here. We should have about ten minutes, I reckon, with the basic door frame," Jefferson says. Another bang. "Eight."

"Alright then, we need to stop them and get out of here," I say, holding myself together. If I'm not going to get the Doctor back, it's time for me to fend for myself. I need to be strong – cool and collected. "The Beast cut the Doctor off for a reason. He was making sense, he was right; we need to think our way out of this. Lights would be a nice start. What can you do, Zach?"

"There's nothing. I'm a lousy captain, stuck in here pressing buttons."

"Pressing buttons isn't lousy. Buttons are great. Buttons have power. Buttons hold shirts and pants together, buttons turn on computers and communicators. So find some helpful buttons and get pressing."

"Hm…maybe you're right. If I can reroute the rocket's independent power supply…open the bypass conduits, override the safety…"

"Now you're getting it! When in doubt, press some buttons!"

"Channeling rocket power…"

The lights flicker back on, and I clap my hands together.

"Brilliant! Alright. Now I know you two were talking about strategy nine or something. Care to explain?"

"There isn't enough power," Jefferson explains. "We need one hundred percent."

"Well then, you and Zach get working on a Plan B then. A Plan C would also be nice, if you could manage that," I tell him. Then I turn to Toby. "Toby, what about you?"

"I'm not a soldier. I can't do anything."

"No, you're not a soldier. And I'm not an archeologist, you are. Exactly how much do you know about the pit?"

"I couldn't even translate the language! I don't know anything!"

"Listen up Toby," I say firmly, grabbing him by the shoulders. "You need more confidence. Because you _do k_now things, I know you do. You're a hell of a lot smarter than I am, I barely finished school. I grew up on street smarts, but right now, I need book smarts, and I know you've got them."

He hesitates for a moment, but agrees reluctantly. "Maybe I can figure it out. The letters have made a bit more sense since that thing was inside my head…"

"Good. You don't even need to translate the whole thing; even just a small bit of it would be helpful. Get to work," I say, and then I turn to Danny. "As for you, you're the Ood guy – any ways we can stop them?"

"Not that I know of."

"Find out," I say, grabbing him by the sleeve and pulling him over to the computer. I shove him into a seat and push him closer to the table. "The sooner we get control of the Ood, the sooner we can get control of the base. The sooner we get control of the base, the sooner we can get the Doctor back. Get on it."

Jefferson mutters to himself while he works at the computer. Toby sits, working intently on translating the symbols. Danny types away at his own computer. I sigh, feeling awfully useless. My gaze turns to the empty elevator shaft. I bite my lip, forcing myself to turn away and focus on something else.

"There are all sorts of viruses that could take out the Ood, but we don't have any on board," Danny says. I roll my eyes and cross my arms, muttering a sarcastic reply.

"Well that really helps, doesn't it? Listing everything we don't have the capability of doing. You know what else we don't have? Candy floss, a grand piano, a ball of yarn, a basketball, and apparently common sense!"

Danny ignores me, continuing to type, until his computer beeps. He beams, chattering away excitedly.

"It says yes! I can do it! If I flip the monitor and broadcast a flare, it would disturb the telepathy…"

"Danny! English please!"

He grins slyly at me. "Brainstorm. The Ood go kaput."

"Brilliant! Go on then, do what you need to do!"

"I'd have to transmit from the central monitor in Ood Habitation," he says, his smile fading. I sigh with frustration.

"Of course we need to go to bloody Ood Habitation. Why the hell would we be able to do it from here? We have to jump through hoops…" I mumble. Another bang from the door cuts me off. "Jefferson, tell me how to get out of here and to Ood Habitation as quickly as possible."

"We've got maintenance tunnels running underneath the base, those could work."

"Ventilation shafts? Wonderful. I love a good ventilation shaft, they really are useful. Gotten me out of a number of sticky situations, they have…"

"No, not ventilation shafts. There's no ventilation. No air, actually. They weren't designed for life forms, they were made for machines."

I scowl as another bang comes from the door.

"I might be able to help. I can manipulate the oxygen field manually and follow you through the network," Zach cuts in.

"I need to get to Ood Habitation ASAP. Find the best route," I tell him. The door bangs again. "Quickly, I might add."

"I've got it, no problem. You ready?"

"Just a moment, we need to get the shaft open. Jefferson, where is it?"

He leads me over to a spot in the wall, sealed by a small door. He pulls a wrench out of his pocket and sets to work getting some screw out of the wall so we can remove the door. Apparently, they're sealed pretty tightly, and he has a bit of trouble with it.

"Oh, stop it. Give that here," I sigh. He raises his eyebrows and hands me a tool to work the screws out of the wall. It's not very hard to do, and I manage to get all six screws off in a few seconds. They fall to the grated floor with a loud clink. When I finish, I stand, brushing off my jeans, and toss the wrench aside. Turning around, I see Jefferson and Toby staring at me.

"You weren't kidding about that super strength thing, either. Wow," Jefferson says, letting out a breath slowly. Toby swallows.

"Well, I wasn't lying about the wings, so why would I be lying about the super strength? Honestly, have some faith in a girl for once. Let's get going already. Danny, come on!"

"Hold on! Just a minute!" he replies, just as another bang rattles the door.

"We need to get out of here _right now_, Dan!" Jefferson shouts. Danny nods hurriedly, yanking an orange computer chip out of a drive and shoving it in his pocket. I look at the small size of the tunnel and tuck my wings in quickly.

"We'll be back. Come on, you go ahead first, then me, then Toby, then Jefferson. Let's go," I say, shoving Danny along. I crawl in after him, sliding down a duct before landing in a heap at the bottom.

"God, it smells in here. Really, it's disgusting. What did you eat for dinner, Danny?"

"Ha ha, very funny," he grumbles. He speaks into his portable communicator. "Zach, which way to go?"

"Keep heading straight until I tell you."

Danny crawls ahead, his bottom waving back and forth in front of me. I smirk.

"Not your best angle, Danny," I inform him.

"Oi! Stop staring at my bum!"

"Where else am I supposed to look?"

"I dunno, it could be worse," says Toby behind me. I raise my eyebrows.

"Are you aiming to get a slap once we get out of here, Toby?"

"All of you just cut it out," Jefferson groans. "Hurry up!"

"Keep straight until you get to junction 7.1," Zach says. "I'm feeding you air, keep breathing."

"I was totally intending on stopping," Danny says sarcastically. We keep crawling until we reach a slightly larger area of the ducts, and sit up straight for the moment while Danny asks Zach for directions. I can tell that the air is a bit thinner than usual by the way the three men are panting away. Superior biology is wonderful sometimes.

"Give me a minute to aerate the next section of the tunnels," Zach says.

"Hurry it up, it's awfully cramped down here," Danny complains.

"Tell him to stop complaining," Jefferson says.

"Jefferson says stop complaining, Danny," I relay.

"I heard," he says moodily. Everyone jumps when we hear a loud banging noise coming from the direction we had come from.

"Jefferson, what the hell was that?" I ask loudly, not able to turn around and fully see what's going on. I hear the clicking of his gun, and assume he is aiming it toward the noise.

"Captain, what was that?" Jefferson asks.

"The junction in Habitat Five has been opened, it must be the Ood. They're in the tunnels," Zach warns us.

"Well hurry the hell up and open the gate!" Danny says, exasperated.

"Zach, how close are they, exactly?" I ask.

"I don't know, I can't see them. They don't register as proper life forms in the computer," he replies, finally opening the gate to the next junction and ordering us to turn left. Danny bounds through it with a speed I never would have thought he had.

"Can you trap the Ood?" Jefferson asks. "Cut off the air?"

"Not without cutting off yours. Go right Danny, quick. Before the Ood catch up."

"I'll maintain a position of defense," Jefferson says.

"Are you mental?" I cry. "You can't just stop! You said before, you're running low on ammo!"

"It's my job, Miss Tyler. You've got your own task, now see to it."

"You head what he said, Rose, now _shift_," Toby orders from behind me, slapping my butt.

"Oh, Toby, you are so getting that slap when we get out of here…"

We continue crawling, leaving Jefferson behind. We're almost at the next junction when we hear the gun go off.

"8.2, Zach, open 8.2!" Danny shouts into his wrist communicator.

"I've got to aerate it!"

"OPEN IT NOW!"

"I'm TRYING!"

Danny pounds on the door with his fists.

"Danny, cut it out, that's not doing any good," I demand.

"Jefferson, I can't open 8.2 without closing 8.1. You need to get past the junction, _now_."

The sounds of gunfire behind us cease, and I can hear Jefferson crawling toward us, the sounds of his knees and hands hitting the ground getting louder. The door in front of us swings open and Danny bolts through. I glance back, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jefferson before moving forward.

"Danny, turn left and head for 9.2, that's the last one. Jefferson, you need to move faster," Zach says urgently.

"Come on Jefferson!" I call back. Toby pushes me forward.

"Move! Keep going!"

My heart sinks when Jefferson's voice comes up on Danny's communicator.

"Regret to inform, sir…I was a bit slow. Not so fast, these days."

"I can't open 8.1, John, not without losing air for the others," Zach sighs, his voice thick.

"Quite right, too, sir. I think I bought them a little time."

"There's nothing I can do, John. I'm sorry."

Danny, Toby and I are all silent while we continue to crawl. I swallow back the lump in my throat. Jefferson didn't deserve this, not at all.

"You've done well enough, sir. You were a very good captain under the circumstances. I ask…if you can't add oxygen to this section, could you speed up the process of its removal?"

"Oh god," I choke out, the sound no more than a whisper. I squeeze my eyes shut, biting my lip.

"I don't understand…why?" Zach asks.

"If I might choose the manner of my departure, sir…lack of air seems more natural than death by Ood. I'd appreciate it, sir."

"God speed, Mr. Jefferson."

"Thank you sir," Jefferson says. There's a beep as his communicator is turned off.

"Report…Officer John Maynard Jefferson PKD, deceased…with honors," Zach says, and it sounds almost painful. "43K2.1."

"Danny, give me your communicator," I say. Silently, Danny takes his wrist device off and hands it back to me.

"Zach, we're at the final junction. 9.2. And if my respects could be on the record…he saved our lives. And I wish I could thank him."

"Noted. Opening 9.2."

The gate swings open, revealing a group of Ood on the other side. My eyes widen and Danny backs up into me.

"Shit! Zach, close the gate! Close it!"

"Back! Back! Go back!" Danny shouts.

"We can't go back, it's sealed off, and we're stuck!" Toby cries. I look to my left and right, growling when I don't see a branching tunnel. I glance over my head and see a small hole covered by grating. I reach up and smash through it, pulling myself up into a corridor. Danny reaches a hand through and I drag him up next to me.

"Toby! Come on! Get out of there!"

"Help me! Oh my god – help me!" His arms reach through the hole. Danny grabs one and I grab the other, and with a grunt, we pull him through. I turn my head at the sound of footsteps down the corridor.

"Danny, more Ood," I warn him. He follows my gaze.

"Come on, this way!" he says, running in the other direction. "Here we are!"

Turning a corner, Danny pushes through the door into Ood Habitation. He rushes over to the computer. The Ood in the pen down below stare at us.

"Hurry up Danny! Transmit!" I yell, pointing my gun at the approaching Ood on the steps.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!"

Suddenly, all the Ood are clutching their heads and stumbling over before collapsing. The room is completely silent.

"Yes!" I shout happily, beaming at Danny and Toby. "Zach, we did it! The Ood are down. Now we've got to get the Doctor."

"On my way," he replies. I rush from the Ood Habitation room, heading straight for the exploration deck. I immediately go to the intercom.

"Doctor? Ida? Are you there? Can you hear me?"

"The comms are still down, but I can patch them through the central desk and boost the signal. Give me a minute," Zach says, entering the room. He types away furiously at the computer. I tap my foot impatiently, anxiously brushing my hair out of my face.

"That should do it," he says finally. I reach for the intercom button again.

"Doctor? Doctor? Ida? Are you there? Can you hear me?"

"He's gone," Ida answers. I frown, my heart pounding.

"What the hell does that mean, 'he's gone'?"

"He fell. Into the pit. I don't know how deep it is – miles and miles and miles…"

I take a sharp breath, my hands starting to tremble. How the hell does the Doctor fall into the pit anyway? He would never just _leave _me here…would he? He can't. He can't, he just can't. I love him. And he loves me…doesn't he? Have I been imagining it all this time? The way he looks at me, the way he acts? Was it all just wishful thinking? If he loved me, he wouldn't just leave me. He can't be gone…he's all I have left.

I breathe deeply, closing my eyes. My voice is thick, cracking when I speak.

"But…what do you mean, he fell?"

"I couldn't stop him…he said your name," Ida says softly, her voice quiet. After everything, that's just a blow to the chest.

_He said my name. While he was falling into nothingness, he called out for _me_, of all people. He said _my_ name. _

I don't resist when Zach reaches out hesitantly for the intercom speaker. He tugs it gently out of my hands. I don't bother looking at him, just stare into space.

_What did I ever do to deserve this?_

"Ida…we don't have a way to reach you. You're ten miles down, we haven't got enough cable…we can't get there. We've got to abandon the base. I'm declaring this mission unsafe. All we can do is make sure no one ever comes here again."

"We'll never find out what it was…"

"Maybe that's best."

"Yeah."

The room is awkwardly silent. Zach takes a deep breath.

"Officer Scott…"

"It's alright. Just go. Good luck."

"Thank you. Danny, Toby, close down the feed links. Get the retroscopes online. Then get yourselves to the rocket and strap in. We're leaving."

"I'm not going," I state.

"Rose, there's space for you," Zach says in a reassuring tone, not understanding.

"No. _I'm not going_, Zach. I'm going to stay here and I am going to wait for the Doctor. He is the only thing I have left out here, literally. I'm from the _past._ This is my future – Where I'm from, it's the year 2006 right now. My mother is there. My dog is there, my daughter is there – my _family_ is there. And the Doctor is part of my family, no matter how much he grumbles on about it. I am not leaving without him."

"I'm sorry, Rose…he's dead."

"You don't know him like I do, he's not. I'm telling you, he's not. Even if he was, I could never leave him – all on his own all the way down there. It's been my policy since I was a girl – _no one_ gets left behind. Ever. And I take my policies very seriously. I am _not_ leaving."

Zach nods slowly.

"Then I apologize for this," he says. "Danny, Toby – make her secure."

Suddenly, the two men are on either side of me, gripping my arms. I don't react.

"Let go of me," I say, deathly calm. They just grip my arms tighter. I jam my heel into Danny's foot.

"Ouch!"

"Yeah, well maybe you should get off me before I rip your head off too. Because believe me, I'm capable of it."

"I've lost too many people," Zach says determinedly. "I am not leaving you behind."

There's a sharp pain in my side, and everything goes black.

**~DW~ THE DOCTOR'S POV**

The first thing I'm aware of is the pounding in my head.

The second thing I'm aware of is the reason why my head is pounding. I fell into the pit, I remember.

The third thing I'm aware of is the fact that my helmet is shattered, but I'm still breathing.

"I'm breathing," I say aloud. "I'm actually breathing." I stand slowly, removing my helmet completely. I reach for my communicator.

"Ida, you can breathe down here. Can you hear me? Ida?"

There's no response, just crackling static. I look up toward the sky, watching a rocket zoom off into the distance. If that's the crew heading off, I pray that Rose is onboard and safe.

I pull out my torch, flicking it on and scanning my surroundings. The light illuminates the wall, which is decorated with drawings of stick figures and a gigantic horned beast.

"History of some big battle, man versus beast. I don't know if you're getting this Ida, I hope so. Anyway, looks like they defeated the beast and imprisoned it."

The torchlight falls on a large vase, sitting on a stand made out of rock. What's a vase doing down here, of all places, just sitting out in the open? I turn the light back on the wall, looking closer at the stick figures. Some of them carry vases on their heads.

I look back at the vase again, stepping closer to it and noticing another one in line with the first.

"Or maybe that's the key…" I mumble to myself, reaching out to touch the fragile-looking stone. The vases light up as if I've switched on a lamp. "Or the gate, or the bars…"

There's a quiet growl behind me. When I turn, I'm met with the sight of a humongous horned beast in a pit. It's chained down, roaring at me, and let me just say, its breath didn't exactly smell like flowers.

"Well," I shrug. "Alright then. I accept that you exist, at least. I don't have to accept who you are, but your physical existence, I'll give you that." The beast growls at me threateningly, but I step closer to it. "I don't understand, though. I fell down here, are I was given a safe landing. I was given air – why? You need me for something, but for what? Because I can almost guarantee that's not going to happen." The creature roars, straining against its chains.

"Is there some sort of ritual or something you want me to do? Say an incantation, or a spell of some kind? All those things I don't believe in, are they real?" I ask. It doesn't answer me. I raise my voice. "Speak to me! Tell me, why don't you?"

"You won't talk…or, you can't talk. Oh! No…yes! No…think it through…" I give myself a moment. "You spoke before, I heard your voice. An intelligent voice, brilliant even. But looking at you now, all I can see is a beast. An animal, a body. Where's your mind gone?" I look up to the sky when I realize. "Oh, no…you're inside something else. The Ood, maybe? That's why they were saying strange things, isn't it? It was you talking, talking through them."

"You're imprisoned, that's it. Before the universe, after, sideways, in-between, backwards, forwards, it doesn't matter. It's eternal. Open the prison, the gravity field collapses. This planet falls into the black hole, and you escape – you die. But that's just the body; it's only the body that's trapped. The devil is just an idea, in all those civilizations, just an idea, nothing more. But an idea is hard to kill, ideas can escape. The mind of the great beast can escape, even if the physical form is stuck here. So it wasn't you who gave me air, it was your jailers that set this up, because if you're escaping, I've got to stop you."

I glance around the ground, settling on a nice-sized rock.

"If I destroy your prison, your body is destroyed. Your mind with it," I reason, ready to bring the rock swinging down on the vase. But a thought hits me last minute and I drop it to the ground instead.

_Rose._

"But you're clever enough to use this whole system against me. If I destroy this planet, I destroy the gravity field. The rocket loses protection and falls to the black hole. I'd have to sacrifice Rose."

That is _not _something I want to do. I don't want Rose to die. She doesn't deserve death, not after everything she's already been through. She's always caring and compassionate, all beaming and happiness. She radiates joy everywhere she goes, she helps them. She helped me – she saved me, after the Time War. She took my broken soul and mended it. She made me…

She made me love her. It's such a complex feeling, love. Because you can't stop it – I should know, I've tried. I keep her at the furthest distance I can, because I know I'm going to lose her one day and that it's going to hurt. And I'm afraid of that day. Just thinking about it terrifies me, and I feel physically sick. I don't want to live without Rose.

But sometimes, it's so easy to forget. It slips my mind that she'll be gone one day, and I let her too close to my hearts. Then the smallest thing reminds me that she'll be gone one day, and I need to push her away again. She'd be better off without me anyway; I'm not doing her any good.

"That's your trap, then. If I kill you, I kill her. Except that implies she's just a victim. But she's so much more than that, _so_ much more than that. I've seen a lot of this universe – fake gods, real gods, demigods, would-be gods – but out of everything, out of all that – if I believe in just one thing…I believe in her."

I pick up the rock and smash the vase.

"This is your freedom! Free to die! You're going into that black hole and I'm riding it with you!"

Flames off anger erupt from the beast's mouth as the entire cavern starts to shake.

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

When I open my eyes, I'm strapped down. I struggle against the seatbelt that's confining me.

"Zach, she's awake!" Danny warns him.

"How the hell is she awake already? That dose was enough to keep her out until we at least got out of the galaxy!'

I would angrily inform him about my superior biology, but there are more important matters at the moment.

"Get me out of this thing!"

"It's all right, Rose, you're safe…" Danny begins.

"No. I. Am. Not. Going. Anywhere!" I shout. "Get me out of this thing!"

"And lift off," Zach announces, pressing a button.

I reach down into my boot, pulling out a gun, since the one Jefferson gave me is gone – Zach probably took it off me. I point it at him.

"Take me back," I order.

He doesn't even turn around, let alone reply.

"Zach, I swear to every god I can think of, if you don't take me back _right now_…"

"What?"

"I'll shoot."

"Would you though?" he asks doubtfully, turning his head to look at me. "Is that what your Doctor would want?"

I stare at him blankly, the gun trembling in my hands. Then I sigh and drop the weapon on the floor. I slump back in my seat, hugging my arms tiredly. I couldn't shoot him. Not after everything he's done to keep me alive today.

"It's too late anyway. I'm sorry. We can't turn back. This is what the Doctor would have wanted. You're _safe_. Isn't that right? He would have wanted that."

I glance at the window unhappily, taking in the shrinking black hole as we get further away. Zach is right. This is exactly what the Doctor would have wanted. He would have wanted me to be safe, and move on, and have a fantastic life. But that's not what _I _want. Not without him.

I frown at Toby when he starts to chuckle quietly.

"Why the hell are you laughing? I don't find anything about this funny."

"Yeah, do share. What's the joke?" Danny adds.

"Just…we made it. We got out of there, we escaped, we actually did it."

"Not all of us," I remind him angrily.

"We're not out of it yet. We're still the first people in history to fly away from a black hole. Toby, read me the stats," Zach says.

"Gravity funnel holding, sir. Always holding."

I glare at Toby's smirk, trying to suppress the urge to rip his face off as he continues.

"Stats at 53, funnel status at 66.5, Hull pressure constant. Smooth as we can, sir, all the way back home. Coordinates set for Planet Earth."

"I just…there are so many things it could've done. It could've killed us a thousand different ways, but it didn't. Why did it let us go, unless it wanted us to escape? Because there's absolutely no way it just suddenly decided to be nice to us. That's not how life works."

"Hey Rose, do us a favor and shut up," Toby snaps. I stare at him, emotionless. He holds my gaze for a moment before turning back to the computer screen.

_You snap on me, you deal with the glare._

"Almost there. We'll be beyond reach of the black hole within 40…39…"

Out of the blue, the entire rocket is violently shaking. I grab onto my seat tightly.

"What happened? What's going on?" Danny cries.

"What is he doing? What is he doing?" Toby shrieks.

"Who? What is who doing?" I demand.

"We've lost the funnel! Gravity collapse!" Zach shouts. "We can't escape – we're headed for the black hole!"

"The entire planet is falling in!" I cry, looking out the window. I turn to look at Toby and Danny and freeze. Toby's eyes are glowing red again, and his skin has broken out into the dark symbols.

"Zach! It's Toby! Look at him!" I shout. Toby starts muttering in the deep voice of the Beast we heard before.

"It's him! It's him!" Danny repeats hysterically.

"What is he? What the _hell _is he?" Zach cries. Flames burst out of Toby's mouth.

"I shall never die. The thought of me is forever. In the bleeding hearts of men, in their vanity and obsession and lust…" Toby rages. I reach down quickly, picking up my gun off the floor as it slides back and forth from the shaking. Quickly stretching my arm across the small space of the rocket, I undo Toby's seat belt and shoot at the window. The glass shatters, and he is sucked through into space, tumbling toward the black hole.

"Emergency shield!" Zach yells, pressing a button. The gaping hole in the ship is quickly covered. I stare blankly at the window for a moment. I just killed Toby…

The feeling isn't pleasant. I haven't killed anything in a long time, and it just gets worse every time. I know I can expect nightmares for at least the next week or so, if I ever get out of this mess.

"We've still lost the gravity shield – we can't escape the black hole!" Zach says.

"We stopped him. That's what the Doctor would've done."

"The planet's gone," Danny reports from the computer. "It's just gone. I'm sorry."

"Hey, though – first human beings to fall into a black hole. How about that?" Zach jokes weakly.

It really hits me what's about to happen.

_I'm going to die. After everything I've been through, everything I've survived…I'm going to die. I don't _want _to die._

I close my eyes, leaning my head back against the seat. I wonder vaguely what happens once I'm dead. If there's a heaven, would I go to it? Or would I end up in hell? Do I get reborn as someone else? Do I just not exist at all anymore?

_I might be dying, but I'm saving people. I stopped the Beast. He won't hurt anyone else._

I wonder if that's what Max had been thinking when she saved Ella. Is my life worth the lives of all the people that I'm saving? Yeah. They probably are.

The Beast said I was going to die in battle. Was this the battle he was referring to? The one that we're fighting against him?

Then all at once, the rocket stops shaking. Everything is silent.

"What's going on?" Danny asks worriedly.

"We're…turning around!" Zach exclaims. "We're turning around!"

"Sorry about the hijack, Captain. This is the good ship the TARDIS."

My mouth drops open and relief floods through me. I bring my hand to my forehead, smiling widely.

"Oh my god. Oh my god," I whisper to myself. _He's alive, he's alive, the Doctor is alive. I knew he wouldn't leave my on my own. He's got the TARDIS. We can go home. Everything is okay._

"First things first, have you got a Rose Tyler on board?"

"I'm here! I'm here! It's me! Where are you?" I reply quickly, completely ecstatic.

"I'm just towing you home. Gravity-schmavity. My people practically invented black holes. In fact, they did. In a couple of minutes, we'll be nice and safe. Oh, and Captain, care to swap? Say, you give me Rose Tyler, I'll give you Ida Scott?"

"She's alive!" Zach breathes.

"Yes!" Danny shouts victoriously. "Thank God!"

"Just a bit oxygen deprived, but she should be fine," the Doctor says cheerily. Then he gets more solemn. "I couldn't save the Ood. I only had time for one trip. They went down with the planet." There's a beep on his end of the line. "Oh, here we are. Entering clear space. End of the line – mission complete."

**~DW~**

The TARDIS doors swing open with a loud crash, revealing the Doctor standing at the console. He's beaming like crazy, finally out of that stupid orange spacesuit. I decide I hate that spacesuit. I never want to see it again in my life.

_I'll burn it when he's not looking_, the TARDIS reassures me.

For a moment, I can't decide what to do. I'm torn between slapping the cheeky grin off his face or throwing my arms around his neck and never letting go. I settle on a compromise.

I run up to him, stopping just a foot away, and grab him by the lapel, balling up the fabric in my left hand. My right hand meets the Doctor's face with a satisfying _fwack!_

"You bloody idiot! I _told _you it was a bad idea! You just had to go down in that stupid elevator and explore without me. Look what happened! I don't know how the hell you ever survived without me! I swear…" I rant angrily, but even as I go on, I know I barely mean I word that I'm saying. The Doctor just stands and stares at me, his mouth hanging slightly open and my handprint on his cheek. I sigh and shake my head.

"I hate you," I say weakly, wrapping my arms around him and burying my head in his neck. He hugs me tightly.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he says quietly. I pull back from his embrace.

"Let's just get out of here. I think we need a break."

He nods in agreement, holding down a button on the TARDIS console and talking into a speaker.

"Zach, we'll be off now. Have a safe trip home. And next time you get curious about something…" the Doctor starts to say, but shakes his head and trails off. "Oh, what's the point? The human race, you'll always go blundering about in everybody's business…"

"Doctor, what did you find down there?" Ida asks.

"I don't know! Never did decipher that writing, but that's good. The day I know everything, I might as well stop."

"What do you think it was though?" I ask quietly, looking up at him.

"We beat it. That's good enough for me."

"Doctor…it said I was going to die in battle," I say softly, biting my lip. My eyes flicker across his face, looking for any sort of clue as to what he's thinking.

"Then it lied," he declares quietly, taking my hand in his and lacing our fingers together. He squeezes reassuringly and I lean my head against his shoulder with a sigh. I believe in him – the Doctor will always save me…at least, if he can.

"Right," he continues, clearing his throat. "Onwards and upwards. Ida, see you again, maybe!"

"I hope so."

"And thanks, boys," I add. "You weren't a lousy team."

"Hang on," Ida says. "Doctor, you never really said…the two of you, who are you?"

"Oh…" the Doctor says, trailing off. He looks at me with a smile. "The stuff of legend." I grin back at him as he reaches out to pull a lever. The TARDIS rotor starts up, and we're off again.

"I believe a trip to London is in order," the Doctor says, bounding around to the other side of the console like a madman. I smile softly, holding on tight through the bumpy ride. Once the TARDIS finally settles and the rattling stops, I walk over to the Doctor, who's waiting at the TARDIS doors.

"Thank you," I say quietly. He shakes his head.

"Not at all, Rose Tyler. Thank _you_," he replies. I look up at him with a bright smile, giving him a quick hug. He pulls back slowly, gazing at me for a moment, not taking his hands off my waist. My hands are on either side of his chest, and I can feel both his hearts beating steadily under my palms. My heart starts to pound when he leans in closer.

_Is this actually happening? Oh my god, this is actually happening…._

Then the TARDIS doors crash open, nearly knocking us to the ground. The Doctor drags me out of the way.

"Mum! What are you doing here?" Angel chatters away excitedly, beaming. Then she notices the surprised looks on our faces. She adapts her own confused expression. Then she cocks an eyebrow.

"Oh, was I interrupting something?" she grins cheekily. I realize the Doctor's hands are still on my waist and step away from him quickly, brushing.

"No, you most definitely were not," I tell her, crossing my arms. Angel crosses her own arms, staring right back at me. The Doctor shoves his hands in his pockets and shuffles his feet uncomfortably.

Angel and I can't hold our resolve for very long. Our blank stares turn into giddy smiles and she bounds into my arms. I pick her up and swing her around, enjoying the sound of her laughter.

"Oh, I missed you, sweetie," I sigh, putting her down gently. She jumps up and down, tugging me into the flat by the arm. I reach out with my free arm and grab the Doctor, yanking him along.

"Oi!"

"Oh, shut up, you."

"I missed you too. You'll never believe what happened the other day! I was walking down the street with Grandmum, Sarah Jane, and Luke…"


	32. Love and Monsters

**A/N: Okay…this chapter was kinda fun to write. I don't know why people don't like this episode…I thought it was great! It made me laugh the first time I saw it. It still makes me laugh. I mean, it's weird as hell, but it's still awesome. Kind of like me, lol. **

**~DW~**

"Seriously, Doctor, you have got to be joking right now! It's this way!" I shout, rolling my eyes. Honestly, sometimes I wonder how the hell we get ourselves into these situations. If you asked me what was happening right now, I don't know if I could tell you. All I know is that there's a dangerous alien in an abandoned warehouse and we need to keep it from taking over the planet. That seems to be a recurring theme in our everyday lives.

"Did you see it? Where's he gone?" the Doctor calls back, turning around and running after me.

"Yes! He's right there, honestly, are you blind?" I cry, gesturing toward the huge alien. "How do you miss that? Seriously, get your eyes checked or something, bloody hell!" The Doctor practically runs into me, grabbing my arm.

"Where?"

"Over there!"

"What?"

"Over there! Right there, can't you see? Oh, you're so daft – stupid alien!"

"Oi! Don't be rude to it!"

"I wasn't talking about _him!_"

"Hey! Oh, come on then, hurry up!" he says, racing into the abandoned building. I sigh with frustration and jog after him. Ahead of me, I can hear the creature roaring loudly. I shake my head, knowing the Doctor has probably gotten himself into an even bigger mess. When I round the corner, the Doctor is waving a pork chop around, facing the monster's back.

"Here, boy! Eat the food! It's lovely food, isn't it nice? Yes it is!"

"Where did you even get a pork chop?" I cry, extremely confused. "Seriously, what the hell do you keep in those coat pockets of yours?"

The monster turns around, and I catch a glimpse of a man standing behind him. His mouth hangs open, his eyes wide, and he looks like he's trying to speak but he can't. Something about him seems familiar.

"Get out of here! Quick, run!" the Doctor tells him. The man just stands there, completely frozen. "I said, run!" Finally, the man takes off. I race back around the corner of the corridor and grab the blue bucket that the Doctor told me to get earlier. I bring it back and dump the contents on the howling creature. It rubs at its eyes.

"Wrong one! You made it worse!" the Doctor cries.

"You said blue!" I shout.

"I said 'not blue!'" he shouts back. The monster finally stops rubbing at his eyes and glares at me, growling.

"Well, shit. I'm out," I announce, tossing the bucket aside and holding my hands up defensively before bolting. I can hear the creature's pounding footsteps chasing after me, and the Doctor's not too far behind. The game of tag goes on for too long, and I get extremely out of breath. I race around a corner and lean against the wall to give myself a break. I glance around the wall, seeing that the coast is clear, and turn to run off again, but something catches my sleeve.

I turn around ready to rip somebody a new one before realizing it's only the Doctor, wearing his usual cheeky grin.

"I took care of it, we're good. Back to the TARDIS, cuppa tea, maybe?" he says, offering his arm. I sigh, shaking my head and slipping my arm through his. He chatters away as we exit the abandoned building and enter the TARDIS.

"Maybe next time, if you could listen to me, and use the 'not blue' bucket…"

"Don't even start! You know you said blue! The word 'not' was _not _a part of that sentence!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

I open my mouth to reply, but the Doctor yanks on a lever on the console and sends us spinning off through space. I quickly take hold of a railing so I don't fall over.

"Oh, I swear, sometimes you are the most annoying git," I mumble.

"You know you love it," he grins. The TARDIS stops shaking and I assume we're floating in the Vortex.

"So, Rose Tyler, where to next?"

"The shower," I reply, looking down at my muddy jeans. How did that even happen? We weren't anywhere muddy…oh, well. I've learned to stop asking questions. The TARDIS likes me; she'll make sure they don't stain. I look back up at the Doctor, who's turned slightly pink.

"You are aware when I said the shower, I meant on my own. _Not_ with you," I clarify, sniggering, but even so, my heart picks up its pace at the thought. The Doctor turns even redder.

"It's not my fault, you randy human beings, I never know what to think!" he babbles, trying to redeem himself.

"Oh, come off your high tower. Not everyone wants to sleep with you, you know," I say, raising an eyebrow. The TARDIS nudges me mentally.

_You know that you do, _she points out, _especially when he wears those glasses you like._ I blush.

_You know what…I…ugh! _I reply, turning red and glaring at the ceiling. I turn back to the Doctor, going even redder when I realize he's put his glasses on to read the TARDIS monitor more closely. She mentally smirks at me. He squints at the swirly figures on the screen.

"I'm going to shower. I'll be back in a bit. Go…fix something or whatever it is you do while I'm not around," I tell the Doctor. He nods distractedly, waving me off. I dash down the corridor to my bedroom, closing the door and locking it quickly because the Doctor probably didn't even hear what I said. Leave it to him to forget that I took a shower and walk into the room while I'm practically naked.

I head into my bathroom and peel off my top that has become damp with sweat. I make a face – I must smell awful. I take my phone out of my jeans pocket and place it on the sink counter, before tossing the pants into the dirty laundry hamper along with everything else I had been wearing. Then I hop in the shower, turning on the water that is already at the perfect temperature. Thank goodness for the TARDIS.

I wash myself off quickly, turn off the water, and ring out my hair. Then I grab myself a towel and dry off, heading out to my bedroom to grab fresh clothes from the closet. I pull on a blue shirt and a pair of jeans before heading back to the bathroom to tackle my knotted hair. I pick up my phone off the counter and kneel down to the bottom drawer for my brush. I stop when I see that I missed three calls from Angel. My brow furrows with concern. Why did she call three times? Something must be wrong. I dial back immediately, abandoning my hairbrush on the counter and leaning against the wall while I wait for her to pick up.

"Oh Mum, thank goodness you got my calls," Angel sighs when she picks up.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"It's Grandmum; she's in a right state. There was this guy, Elton Pope; she's been seeing him for a while ever since she met him at the launderette. She asked him to come fix the washing machine, and they got on pretty well. He was alright, at first. I mean, he treated her okay – but I didn't like him, really," Angel explains.

**~DW~ ANGEL'S POV**

"Angel, love, I'm home!" calls Grandmum. I look up from the television program I had been watching. It was a documentary on birds – ha ha, bird kid watching a show about birds. There was nothing else on, okay?

Grandmum walks into the room, beaming. She carries a laundry basket of freshly folded clothes. A man walks in behind her, and I raise an eyebrow.

"Who are you?" I ask. He smiles at me awkwardly.

"Elton. You must be Angel, then," he says, looking down at Total who's sniffing at his feet. He gives Elton a dirty look and growls quietly.

"Total, be nice. He's come to fix the washing machine!" Grandmum says happily. "I met him at the launderette. Come on, Elton, it's just back here…"

Elton follows Grandmum through the kitchen to the laundry room. Total and I exchange a look as I hop off the couch to join them.

"Oh, it's just a fuse," Elton says once I enter the room. He's already crouched behind the washing machine. "There we go, all working!"

"Oh, Elton, I should have you on tap!" Grandmum says flirtatiously. I make a face – it's weird when grownups flirt. Unless it's Mum and the Doctor. With them, it just seems normal, like you wouldn't expect anything less. Honestly, I think it's adorable. But this, this is weird.

"We used to have Uncle Mickey to do all the fixing," I sigh. "He's gone now."

"Well, I could leave you my number. Just give me a ring if you ever need me," Elton offers, standing up and brushing off his jeans. He smiles at me, but something is off about him. I don't know why, but I get weird feelings about this guy.

"That'd be lovely! I'll go put the kettle on; you should stay for a cup of tea! Go on and sit down, watch a little bit of telly!" Grandmum insists. Elton smiles.

"Thanks, Mrs. Tyler," he says.

"No, call me Jackie!"

"Oh god," I mutter to myself. Total sniffs in agreement, trotting back to the living room to lie down in front of the television. Elton goes after him, looking around the house. He looks at all the pictures on the shelves and the coffee table. I follow him around casually, my arms crossed.

"Who's this, then?" he asks, pointing to a photograph of Mum and the Doctor. Mum is radiating happiness, and the Doctor smiles with just as much joy. His arm is slung around her shoulder, and she's leaning into him and laughing at something he said. They're not even looking at the camera; they're so distracted by each other. I smile slightly.

"That's my Mum and the Doctor. They're off travelling together. They come back and visit pretty often, though," I tell him. Elton picks up another photo, one with Mum and the Doctor, but I'm in it too. I remember when the picture was taken. I had jumped on the Doctor's back, and he looked slightly startled, but then he had started to laugh. I just smiled, and Mum laughed at the look on his face. Uncle Mickey had taken the picture without any of us even noticing. It's my favorite photograph.

"What's her name?"

"Rose."

"That's a nice name," Elton says, still looking at the photograph. "So…where is she travelling?"

"All over," Grandmum answers, walking into the living room with a tray that holds three mugs and a kettle. She sets it down on the glass coffee table, pushing a few magazines out of the way. "She's got a mobile; we call now and then and talk. Not as often as I'd like, but she's off having fun. She loves it, the travelling."

"And she's with this…Doctor bloke?" Elton asks. I narrow my eyes at his doubtful tone.

"Yeah, she is. He's wonderful. He makes her really happy. He's sort of like my unofficial dad," I say, slightly defensive of the Doctor. I really have started to think of him as my dad since I met him, but I don't think he would ever want me to call him that.

Elton takes a seat on the couch, reaching out and grabbing a mug from the tray. Mum sits in the reclining chair sipping her own tea. I frown when I notice that Elton is using the Doctor's mug, and sitting in his spot on the couch.

"Grandmum, that's the Doctor's mug," I say. Elton freezes, about to take a sip.

"Angel, don't be ridiculous. The Doctor uses it, but it's not _his._ Elton, go on. She's just being silly," Grandmum says, waving me off. I pout, grabbing my tea and sitting next to Total in front of the television set and crossing my legs. I pet him softly with my free hand and he snuggles closer to me.

"I don't like this guy," Total mutters quietly, so only I can hear him. "He smells funny."

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

"Okay, I don't understand what the problem is, honey. This guy doesn't sound awful, it's just a mug. What did he do to upset Grandmum?"

"I'm just saying, it was bugging me. That's the Doctor's mug. But let me finish!"

"Okay, okay, sorry. Keep going."

"He was over the flat a lot after the first time," Angel continues. "Grandmum had him do everything, from fixing the leaky pipes to installing new shelves in the hall. He was constantly over here, changing light bulbs and things. Grandmum started wearing makeup and skirts and things when he came over – it was actually kind of sickening."

"I can only imagine," I agree, making a face.

"He asked about you a lot, where you might be and things. I thought it was a bit odd, and he rubbed me the wrong way. Then one night, I slept over Sarah Jane's to hang out with Luke, and all of a sudden I came back and Elton was just everywhere. I couldn't get rid of him. When he wasn't over the flat, Grandmum was talking about him. It was really quite annoying. And then he took her out for pizza."

"Oh god," I moan, putting my hand on my forehead and walking over to my bed. I flop down onto the mattress on my stomach and play with the fringe on the edge of my pillow. "Keep talking."

"I still thought he was a bit weird, but Grandmum wouldn't have it. She insisted he was a 'proper gentleman' and he was incredibly nice. Bam, suddenly Grandmum's gotten herself a new boyfriend. It was _weird_, Mum. It was so weird."

"I know, Ange. I know, believe me," I sigh, thinking of all the men Mum brought home in the time since I met her. Every few weeks, I would wake up in the morning and there was a new man standing in the kitchen.

"Then after a while, he took her out to eat again, and he insisted he would pay. So Grandmum decided to slip some money in his pocket, and you'll never believe what she found in there," Angel says.

"Do I even want to ask?" I groan. "Alright. What did she find in Elton's pocket?"

"A picture of you."

"What the actual hell?" I say, confused. Then my eyes widen. "Oh my god, Angel, he's not from the School, is he? Are you okay, did he hurt you? Did they get you, sweetie?" I clutch my pillow tightly, fingernails digging into the fabric. I swear, if they hurt my baby…

"No, Mum, I don't think he's from the School. If he was, he would've just taken me right up front and used _me _to get to you. And Grandmum got really angry – she thinks he was stalking you or something, that he was only dating her so he could get to you. She told him to back off. I told him you were taken. I think he was after the Doctor."

"Why do you say that?" I ask curiously.

"Tell him you were taken? Because you practically _are_, Mum. Seriously, you and the Doctor are _totally _in love and it is _totally _obvious, so don't even try to deny it."

"That's not what I meant, Angel! And _nothing _is happening between us! Honestly."

"Right, remind me to give the Doctor a nice kick in the shin and tell him to get his act together and kiss you because there's no way in hell that you would ever make the first move."

"Angel. Back to the point. Why do you think Elton was after the Doctor?"

"Oh, alright…Grandmum was telling me exactly what happened. She said Elton told her 'I only wanted to meet him.' Who else would he be talking about? And that would explain why he was always asking questions about you and the Doctor, where you might be and what you were doing and stuff. It makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Alright, I officially hate this guy. I'm assuming you called so I would come back to Earth and kick his sorry ass?" I growl. He hurt my Mum – he's going to pay.

"Exactly. I knew you would," Angel says, and I can practically hear her grin.

"I'll be right there. The Doctor can probably track this guy down with the TARDIS no problem. Once we deal with him, we'll stop by the flat to see you, okay?"

"Alright. I'll see you soon, Mum. Tell the Doctor I said hi."

"I will. See you soon," I tell her. "I love you."

"Love you too. And the Doctor. Bye," she replies, and there's a click as she hangs up the phone. I head back into the bathroom and look at my still-damp hair that hasn't been combed.

"Oh, whatever. I'm not dealing with this now," I mutter to myself, quickly braiding my hair so it doesn't look as messy. Then I stomp out to the console room, where the Doctor is under the TARDIS console doing maintenance (as always).

"Hey," I say.

"Oh, dear. You only use that voice when you want something," the Doctor says carefully, poking his head out from under the console.

"Angel says hi, and that she loves you." I inform him. He makes a quick move to sit up and promptly whacks his head on the TARDIS console. I roll my eyes.

"What?"

"No need to act so surprised. Of course she loves you, you're practically her dad. She sees you all the time, you help her pull pranks, you give her ice cream when Mum tells you not to…I could go on, but the list is too long."

"Oh," the Doctor says, his eyes widening slightly as he rubs his forehead. "I never realized…it makes sense…"

"You're so stupid sometimes," I say quietly, but my tone is fond. He really has no idea, the way everyone sees him. No idea how wonderful he is, no idea how much everyone loves him – no idea how much _I _love him.

"Did you just get off the phone with her?" the Doctor says, clearing his throat.

"Yeah, I need you to track down this guy with the TARDIS so I can slap him into next year," I say casually, leaning against the captain's chair.

"Why?" he asks cautiously, eyeing me carefully.

"He hurt Mum. And Angel doesn't like him. And he's, like, stalking me because he's trying to track you down."

"He's stalking you?" the Doctor frowns. "In that case, _I'll_ slap him into next year, if you like. Or throw him into a supernova. You won't have to get your hands dirty."

"Thanks, but I think I can handle this one. Next time someone stalks me, you can feel free to feed him to a bloodthirsty alien, but I've got this one."

"Alright then, if you insist," the Doctor shrugs. "What's his name?"

"Elton Pope."

"That name sounds familiar. Do I know an Elton Pope?" the Doctor asks himself aloud. After a minute he shakes his head. "Give me a moment," the Doctor says, pulling himself to his feet and entering something into the TARDIS controls. "Yep, got him. Here we go."

He yanks on the lever that sends the TARDIS flying off, and after a minute, the rattling stops and the Doctor bounds over to the door. He pokes his head out.

"Someone wants a word with you," he warns. He looks back to me, nodding me over. I cross my arms, walking right out the TARDIS doors.

"You upset my Mum," I say coldly, and my fury is portrayed through my eyes. Elton flinches slightly, glancing at a giant green…creature thing that looks like it could have come out of Gazzy's nose or something.

"Great big absorbing creature from outer space and you're having a go at me?"

"He didn't upset my Mum, now did he?" I say pointedly, glaring at him. "Let me explain this to you: _No one. Upsets. My Mum._"

"At last, the greatest feast of all," the creature hisses gleefully, watching the Doctor.

"What's this thing?" the Doctor mutters to himself, looking the thing up and down. "Absorbatrix? Absorba…clon? No. Absorbaloff!"

"Absorbaloff, yes," the Absorbaloff sighs.

I turn my gaze off Elton for a moment to look at the Absorbaloff.

"Is it just me, or is he a bit…Slitheen?"

"Not from Raxicoricofallapatorius, are you?" the Doctor asks casually.

"No! I am not that swine!" the Absorbaloff roars. "I spit on them! I was born on their twin planet!"

"What's the twin planet of Raxicoricofallapatorius?" I ask.

"Clom."

"Clom?" I repeat. "What kind of name for a planet is that?"

"Earth? What kind of name for a planet is that?" the Absorbaloff mocks. "I will return to Clom, once I possess your travelling machine." He gestures to the TARDIS. I scoff.

"That's totally gonna happen," I say sarcastically.

"You will surrender yourself to me, Doctor, or I will kill this one," the Absorbaloff says, motioning toward Elton. "I've studied you, so sweet, passionate; you wouldn't let an innocent man die. I will absorb him unless you give yourself to me."

The Doctor and I exchange amused glances.

"I might be sweet and passionate, but don't ever mistake that for nice," the Doctor advises. "Do whatever you want."

The Absorbaloff looks taken off guard for a moment before he regains his composure. "He'll die, Doctor."

"Go on then," the Doctor says, crossing his arms. "Mind you, the others might have something to say."

"Others?" the Absorbaloff asks.

"He's right," says a squeaky female voice. I then notice a face on the Absorbaloff's stomach. Ew…did he absorb people? God, that's disgusting.

"We can't let him!" the woman continues. "Mr. Skinner, Bridget, pull!"

"No, no, stop!" the Absorbaloff shrieks. I make a face as I take in the scene. His skin bulges and stretches and he wails, dropping the cane he was holding.

"Elton, the cane!" the woman cries. "Break it!"

Elton snags the cane off the sidewalk quickly and breaks it over his knee.

"You stupid man!" the Absorbaloff says angrily, roaring with fury. Then he's liquid, melting into the sidewalk and bubbling on the ground.

"That is one of the most revolting things I have ever seen," I declare.

"What did I do?" Elton asks, confused.

"The cane created a limitation field, but it's broken. The absorber is being absorbed, by the Earth," the Doctor explains. We all stand and watch the bubbling green liquid. The woman's face appears on the sidewalk.

"Goodbye, Elton. Bye bye," she says. Elton lunges at the sidewalk stone, tears streaming down his cheeks. I realize he must have loved her. My heart sinks and my gaze softens as I watch him cry. He might have hurt my Mum, but he got hurt too – the pain works both ways. I kneel down next to him and put my arms around his shoulders.

"You don't remember do you?" the Doctor says suddenly. Elton and I look up at him. "There was a shadow in your house. I just realized – that's why your name sounded familiar, I know you."

"I'm not even going to try and pretend that I know what you are talking about," I say, shaking my head. The Doctor doesn't acknowledge me, just speaks to Elton.

"A living shadow in the darkness. An elemental shade had escaped from the Howling Halls," he continues. Then I remember what he's talking about – I remember those shadow things. "I stopped it, but I wasn't in time to save her. I'm sorry."

"Oh my god, that was you," I gasp, realizing that the little boy we had met that day was Elton. His mother had been killed…

"Watch out," the Doctor says suddenly, coming over and kneeling on the sidewalk. He takes out his sonic screwdriver and holds it against the concrete.

"If I can key into the absorption matrix and separate the last victim…it's too late for total reconstruction, but…Elton, go fetch a spade!"

Four minutes later, Elton's new girlfriend is a chunk of the sidewalk. We couldn't get her back as a human, but it's better than no girlfriend at all, I suppose. I am never going to get used to my life.

**~DW~**

"Here we are, the Tyler flat!" the Doctor announces, gesturing toward the door. I smile.

"Thanks."

"Not at all, Rose Tyler."

I take his hand and drag him out the TARDIS doors, nearly tripping and falling into the hall.

"Oh! Hey, there, K9!" I exclaim.

"Hello, Miss Tyler," K9 says.

"How many times do I have to say it, call me Rose," I insist, rolling my eyes. The Doctor beams down at the tin dog and pats him on the head. Total comes trotting up.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up," he says. I kneel down to pet him and he gives me a friendly lick.

"Mum! There you are!" Angel exclaims. She rushes up to me and throws her arms around my neck. "Did you take care of Elton?"

"Yeah. It's all okay, now. He won't bother you again," I assure her. "Where's Grandmum at?"

"She's in the kitchen with Sarah Jane," she replies, pointing as she pulls out of our embrace. I brush her hair out of her face and kiss her forehead. A smile crosses my face when she bounds over to the Doctor and jumps into his arms. He beams at her, swinging her in a circle before setting her down and kissing the top of her head. He catches my eye and I grin at him.

"Hi, Angel."

"Hi, Doctor," she giggles. I tear my gaze away from them and go to head through the door to the kitchen. I bump into Luke along the way.

"Hey there, bud, how've you been?" I ask, ruffling his hair. He grins at me.

"Hi, Rose. Angel, are you coming? We need to get started; the others are waiting for us."

"Yeah, I'm coming," Angel says. She skips over to Luke.

"What are you guys getting up to?"

"Luke is going to show me how to play his favorite video game," Angel explains. I roll my eyes.

"Alright. Go blow some heads off of bad guys," I say, and they run off to my old room that Angel now occupies. Their laughter echoes through the hallway.

_If Angel doesn't have a crush on him, I'll eat my own sock,_ I think, smirking. I continue into the kitchen. Mum sits at the table with a mug of tea, and Sarah Jane is pulling dishes out of the dishwasher and putting them in the cabinets. She beams at me when I walk in.

"Rose! We weren't expecting you!" Mum exclaims, hopping up to give me a hug. I wrap my arms around her tightly.

"Yeah, well, Angel gave me a call and said it would be a good idea to visit. We took care of Elton," I tell her, pulling back and nodding at the Doctor. Mum sighs.

"Oh, thank god, he was such a creeper! I don't know what I ever saw in him, honestly! He was stalking you!" She kisses me on the cheek and goes to ambush the Doctor, who grimaces but keeps his mouth shut and doesn't complain. I smirk, and then turn to Sarah Jane.

"How have you been?" she asks, hugging me.

"Pretty good, I would say. You?"

"Wonderful, as always. Luke and Angel are quite the handful," she laughs.

"I was just thinking, if the two of them don't like each other, then everything I know is a lie," I say, raising an eyebrow.

"I know! They're constantly arguing, but when they aren't, they're getting along so well it's scary! I don't know what to do with them," she agrees, shaking her head with a smile.

"Hello, Sarah," the Doctor says, coming over to join our conversation.

"Oh, Doctor, I trust you've been treating Rose well?" Sarah Jane says.

"He'd better be!" Mum says warningly from across the room, picking up where Sarah Jane left off with the dishes. "Really, Rose, I don't know how you put up with him on a daily basis. You deserve a medal."

"Oi!" the Doctor protests. "I'll have you know, I'm taking _excellent_ care of your daughter!"

"Really, he is, Mum," I say.

"Oh, I don't need to know that much! You two can spend all the time you want shagging in that blue box of yours, but I don't need details!"

"Mum!" I cry, slightly mortified. The Doctor's jaw drops, and he tries to speak, but nothing comes out of his mouth. "We're not like that!"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Sarah Jane says, rolling her eyes. "The two of you are impossible. Just kiss and get it over with already, honestly."

"Sarah, you're supposed to be on my side!" the Doctor pouts, his face red. My own cheeks are hot, and I'm sure the fact that we're blushing like idiots doesn't help our case.

"I'm just going to get myself a cup of tea and pretend this conversation didn't happen," I decide, heading over to the stove.

"I second that decision," the Doctor says, taking a seat at the table.

Really, everyone always thinks the Doctor and I are together, wherever we go. It's quite annoying, sometimes, always having to correct people. I love the Doctor, I do, but the idea of being in a serious relationship is terrifying – look at what happened the last time, with Fang. And I don't even know if the Doctor actually feels the same way that I do.

But then, the back of my mind brings up the memory of the last time we came to visit home. We had been in the TARDIS, and Angel interrupted us. What would've actually happened? I imagine my palms pressed against his chest and the steady beat of his hearts under my hands. I remember the feeling of his hands gripping my waist, the scent of him enveloping me as we drew closer together…

_Stop it, Rose. Just stop it._


	33. Fear Her

**A/N: Hey, guys! I made a tumblr! Follow me! dwfandomgeek394 .tumblr .com (no spaces) and my Instagram is dwfandomgeek394 if you care to follow that as well :D Sorry this chapter is a bit late; school is a monster at the end of the year when you're wrapping everything up. But it is EXTRA long. Over 11k words.**

**~DW~**

"Alright then, where are we?" I ask the Doctor, picking myself up off the TARDIS grating. The Doctor really needs to work on the landing skills. He walks over to the door and opens it, met with a concrete wall.

"Seriously? You can't even park us somewhere that we can get out. I am almost positive you failed your TARDIS driving test."

"Yeah, I did," he admits. I laugh.

"Ha! I knew it!" I exclaim, clutching my sides. He scowls at me and yanks on a lever to re-park the TARDIS, and I'm thrown to the ground again. Then he starts laughing at me. I narrow my eyes at him.

"Watch it, you. You're practically asking for a slap," I warn him. He shuts right up, heading over to the doors again.

"Here we are!" he says happily, stepping outside. I hop back up and rush out after him, shutting the TARDIS doors gently behind me.

"Near future?" I guess, noticing that not much is different.

"Yep. There we go," the Doctor says as I link my arm through his. He nods up at a large banner.

"The Olympics! Oh, why didn't I think of this?" I exclaim.

"Seems like only yesterday a few naked Greek blokes were tossing a discus about…just in time for the opening ceremony, tonight, I thought you'd like that…" the Doctor rambles on, but my attention is caught by a lamp post tacked with a bunch of signs. I let go of the Doctor's arm and walk over to it for a closer look. They're all for missing people – many of them children.

"Doctor…" I call, trying to catch his attention, but he's still walking.

"Those days, everybody had a tea party to go to."

"Doctor?"

"Did you ever have one of those little cakes with the crunchy ball bearings on top…"

"You should really look at this," I sigh, my voice monotone. I lean against the pole and cross my arms, waiting for him to realize I'm not with him. And he blames _me_ for wandering off. Half the time it's his own fault.

"Do you know those things?" he continues, turning to look at me, but I'm not there. He spins around, looking slightly panicked for a moment, before his eyes settle on me and he relaxes. He begins walking over to me, continuing his line of conversation that's more with himself than anyone else. "Nobody else in the galaxy ever bothered to make edible ball bearings." He finally pauses and examines the signs of the post. "What's taking them, you think? Snatching children from an ordinary street…why is it so cold?"

I roll my eyes at his randomness, hitting him gently on the shoulder.

"Doctor, they all disappeared this week. Why would a person do this?"

"What makes you think it's a person?" the Doctor says, cocking an eyebrow. I shrug.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, we're here, so that probably means there's an alien somewhere or something…but…I've seen things like this before. From the opposite end. The School would zero in on a specific town or neighborhood and take children when they didn't have enough…test subjects. What if it's them?" I ask, worried. He pats me on the shoulder reassuringly, but I still frown.

A woman in the nearest house opens her door quickly, glancing about nervously and dumping her recycling on the pavement. Then she rushes back inside and slams the door – I can hear the click of the lock from here.

"The entire street seems to be scared to death – look around, the Olympics opening ceremony is tonight, and there's practically no one out here…" I trail off when I realize the Doctor is halfway down the street. I sigh and jog after him. A bit of notice would be nice.

As I'm headed down the road, a passing car suddenly shudders to a stop. The driver gets out, looking confused. A man who had been working on the road leans his broom against his white van with a sigh, and approaches the driver.

"This is the fifth today; it's not natural, is it?"

"I just had it serviced, I don't know why this is happening…" the driver says.

"It's alright, don't even try and explain it. All the cars are doing it, it's absolutely bonkers. Really – bonkers. I'll help you shift it, get you on your way."

He walks around the back of the car, joining the driver, and they both push.

"Hey, do you two want a bit of help?" I offer.

"We're all right," the service man says. "Thanks, love."

"No, you aren't," I say, grinning. "I'm honestly stronger than I look." I join them at the back of the car and push. It rolls forward easily and the engine suddenly roars to life. The driver quickly hops into the seat and heads off, with a short, "Cheers, mate!"

"Did you say this happens often?" I ask.

"All week, really," he says.

"Since those children started going missing, you reckon?" I ask, trying to find a connection. He shrugs, and my eyes fall on his nametag on his electric yellow vest. Kel.

"I suppose."

"Come on for a walk with me," I say, holding out my arm. He grins, taking it.

"Alright then. You see, every car cuts out. The council's going nuts. I'm filling in all the potholes on this street because the Olympic Torch runs right by here. Everything's supposed to be perfect."

"But it isn't?" I guess.

"It takes them when they're playing."

Kel and I look over to the old woman who spoke. She stands at the side of the street, looking solemn.

"What takes them? Do you know?"

"Danny, Jane, Dale…snatched in the blink of an eye," the woman says sadly, shaking her head. My ears prick up when I hear the Doctor's voice coming closer. I look toward the sound of the noise to see him backing away from a tall, buff man.

"I'm – I'm a police officer! I've got a badge and – a police car, you don't have to get – I can, I can prove it! Just hold on…" he stutters, digging into his coat pocket for the psychic paper. I groan. We haven't been here five minutes and he's already causing trouble.

"See, look! I've got a colleague! Lewis!" the Doctor cries, gesturing to me. I wave.

"She looks even less like a copper than you do. Not tough enough."

"Excuse me? Not tough enough, did you say?" I start, but the Doctor cuts me off with a victorious 'Aha!' He flashes the psychic paper at the man. The woman who I had watched place her recycling out earlier comes to see what all the fuss is about.

"What are you going to do?" she asks.

"The police have knocked on every door – no clues, leads, nothing," adds the old woman.

"Listen, kids run off all the time…" the man starts, but the old woman cuts him off.

"Dale Hixon was in your garden, with Tommy! Then poof, he was gone! Right in front of me! Whatever it is, it's right here among us!" she insists.

"Why don't we all calm down…?" I begin. Another neighbor cuts into the conversation.

"Why don't we start with him?" he accuses, pointing at Kel. "There have been all sorts like him in the street, day and night!"

"Fixing up for the Olympics!" Kel says defensively.

Everyone starts chattering away, shouting over each other and shouting accusations at people they don't like. I frown, exchanging a look with the Doctor. Then I whistle loudly. Everyone quiets down.

"Fingers on lips!" the Doctor orders, demonstrating. Everyone stares for a moment and does nothing before realizing he's serious and doing what he says. I cross my arms. The Doctor raises an eyebrow at me, and I raise one back at him as I bring my forefinger to my lips.

"Now, let me get this straight," the Doctor says calmly. "In the last six days, three of your children have been stolen, is that right?"

"Err, can I…?" the old woman asks. The Doctor nods and she removes her finger from her lips. "Look around here. This street was safe until it came. It's not a person. I'll say it if no one else will. I don't care if you're police or not – we need help. Please."

My gaze drifts upward to the window of the nearest house. A young girl with cocoa colored skin stares out of the window blankly. For a split second, I thought it was Nudge, and my heart nearly leapt out of my chest, but with a closer look, I can see that it's not. I suppose some things are too good to be true. Still, something about her looks familiar. I can't quite put my finger on it.

**~DW~**

The Doctor pokes around the street for a bit, walking around people's front yards. He stops for a long while in front of the man's house that was practically chasing him earlier. He sniffs the air, the grass – everything.

"Do you need to get back in the TARDIS and get Total? He'll probably be better at that than you," I say, slightly amused.

"Can you smell it, though? What does it remind you of?"

I take a long whiff of the air, noticing a slightly metallic tang. "Sort of metal, yeah?"

"Exactly!" the Doctor agrees, nodding. "Come on, this way!"

He springs up from the ground and takes my hand, leading me in between two houses. We turn into a back alley.

"Danny Edwards cycled in one end but never came out the other," the Doctor explains, gesturing around. He stops for a moment, and an odd shiver runs down my spine. "Whoa! Did you feel that? Look, look at the hairs on the back of my manly hairy hand!" He shoves his hand in my face and I roll my eyes.

"I can feel my own hair standing on end, thanks," I say. "But there is the smell again. Like a burnt fuse plug or something."

"In all the spots where the kids vanished. It's residual energy," the Doctor says. "It took a lot of power to do this."

He leads me back toward the street. I sigh, looking around. Then I notice a ginger cat pattering along someone's front lawn. I smile slightly.

"Oh, you are beautiful, aren't you, boy?" I say, kneeling down to pet him. He arches into my touch, purring softly.

"Thanks! I'm experimenting with back-combing," the Doctor says happily behind me. I raise my eyebrows, trying not to laugh, and turn my head back to him. I watch his beam turn into a frown when he notices the cat. "Oh."

"I'm sorry, but I am just extremely amused by that fact that you think I would actually say something like that to you," I laugh, looking back at the cat and shaking my head. I stroke him behind the ears.

"I'm not really a cat person…since that hospital on New Earth."

"I think this guy's safe, he's not a nun," I point out. The cat starts walking away, noticing an abandoned cardboard box. Why do cats have a thing for cardboard boxes? I stand up, brushing off my pants, and watch the cat hop inside the box. I peer over the edge.

"What the hell?" I ask, confused. It's empty. "Where did the cat go?"

"What do you mean? It got inside the box," the Doctor says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"But it's not in the box."

"Of course it's in the box," the Doctor insists, walking over to me to look. "Maybe it's not in the box, then." He bends over and picks up the cardboard.

"Whoa!" I mutter, smelling metal again. "God, that's strong."

"Iron residue," the Doctor murmurs. "Just snatching a living organism out of space-time, that's not easy. I'm impressed."

"But where did the cat go?" I ask.

"I don't know. We need to find the source of this power. Find that, we find…whatever it is that's taking children and fluffy animals. You go that way, I'll go this way," the Doctor says, pointing down a street. I nod.

"Meet back here in half an hour," I tell him. He gives me a salute, grinning, and takes off down the road. I roll my eyes at him and turn down the empty dead end street. An eerie silence fills the atmosphere. You'd never guess the Olympics were coming up, the way everyone is hiding in their houses.

I'm startled out of my train of thought by a loud crash. I look over toward the sound. There's nothing there – no people, no animals – nothing. But the crashing sound comes again, and I watch a garage door rattle. Someone – something – is stuck inside.

I reach down into my boots and pull out my gun cautiously. Slowly, I approach the door. There's no lock on it, just a handle to pull it up. I lean down and grasp the handle with my free hand.

"One. Two. Three," I tell myself quietly, and yank the door open.

All of a sudden, I'm being ambushed by what looks like a bundle of wires. The metallic scent from the scene of the disappearances is pungent. I immediately start breathing through my mouth. The mass of…whatever the hell it is makes a loud buzzing sound, like a hive of bees. My arms come up to protect my face, and I'm thrown off balance. The gun slides out of my hand and lands in the grass. I swing my arms around wildly, trying to push off the chaotic black squiggles that threaten to overtake me. I kick out blindly, growling in frustration. I have no idea how the hell to fight this thing.

Then I hear the Doctor's voice.

"Stay still!"

I freeze where I am, my eyes squeezed shut. I hear the sound of keys clanking together and open them again, just in time to reach out and catch the small metal ball that's falling toward the ground. The Doctor runs up to me.

"Are you okay?" he asks frantically, pulling me to my feet and hugging me.

"I'm fine, thanks," I say, tossing the small metal sphere to him. He grabs it out of the air and pokes it with the sonic screwdriver.

"I'll give you a fiver if you can tell me what the hell this thing is, because I have no idea," he mutters. I bend over to pick up my gun out of the grass and stick it back in my boot. When I stand back up and brush myself off, the Doctor is staring at me, shocked and somewhat angry.

"What the hell have you got that for?" he sputters. "Where did you even _get_ a gun? I don't have them onboard the TARDIS!"

"Max gave them to me," I say shortly, crossing my arms. "See, this is _exactly_ why I didn't tell you I had it. Because I knew you would freak out like this."

"Why do you have it? Why did she give it to you?" he asks, his tone slightly annoyed.

"Because there's going to come a point where I'm gonna need it! You aren't always going to be around to save me, you know!" I tell him angrily. "Not everyone can magically fix everything the way you can!"

He frowns, looking slightly hurt. "You don't trust me."

"Did I say that? Because I did not hear those words come out of my mouth," I say. "This has _nothing_ to do with how much I trust you. I will trust you to the end of the universe and back. You've done so much for me, and I appreciate every little thing you have _ever_ done for me even though I don't deserve any of it. But one day, there's going to be a time when _you can't save me_. I might not be able to save myself either, but at least if I have this, then I can _try_. What if Angel is there? Or Mum? What if they're in trouble and you aren't around to save us? How the hell did you think I ever survived before I met you?"

He stares at me, speechless for a moment. I sigh angrily.

"Life wasn't a walk through the park, let me tell you. I couldn't talk my way out of trouble – I still can't. I had to fight my way through life, whether it was hand to hand combat or with weapons – violence was just a part of my everyday life. I never wanted it to be, I hate violence – I hate it when people I love get hurt. So if I have to use violence to keep them safe, then I won't hesitate to do so. I will take violence over death. I don't want to die, not the way Max did! I want to be able to protect myself, even when you can't!" I shout, causing the Doctor to flinch slightly. I look past him at the empty street, not wanting to look him in the eye. I continue more quietly, trying to calm myself down, feeling a bit guilty. "And I'm sorry. The last thing I've ever wanted was for you to be disappointed in me; I always want you to be proud of me. But I don't trust myself, not completely. I need something to reassure me that I can protect myself and I can keep my family safe." I think of Max again, swallowing back oncoming emotion. My hands tremble slightly, and I dig my nails into my arms to keep them from shaking. "I don't want to end up like her. I don't want to die."

"Rose," the Doctor says softly, reaching out a hand hesitantly. My eyes flicker over to meet his for a moment. "Come here." He holds out his arms. I take a few steps, covering the small distance between us, and bury my face in his jacket.

"I'm sorry," I choke out, clutching his jacket. "Really, I…"

"No, you don't have to explain. You're right, of course. You always are. You need to be able to protect yourself, because as much as I want to, I can't always do it myself," the Doctor admits. "And I'm the one who should be apologizing. I'm so sorry. I never realized – Max's death hit you harder than I thought. I should've asked you if you were alright, I never did. Once we figure this mess out and get back to the TARDIS, we'll talk, okay?"

I take a shaky breath, nodding as I pull back to look at him. He brushes my hair out of my face, pushing it past my ear, and then trails his hand down my arm. I shiver slightly at the feeling.

"Alright. Let's figure out what this thing is."

"Well, I can tell you this was never living. It's a great big ball of energy, really, animated energy. It's been snatching people. I should analyze it in the TARDIS," the Doctor says as I link my arm through his. He starts off toward the TARDIS, chatting away.

**~DW~**

A little while later, the Doctor has placed the ball on the TARDIS console, and we're waiting for the screen to load. Within moments, swirling circles and lines pop up on the screen. The Doctor told me once that it's Galllifreyan – his language, from his planet. It's honestly beautiful. I wish I could write like that. I wonder what it sounds like.

"Get out of here," the Doctor says, sliding on his glasses and leaning in closer to the screen. I adopt a curious expression.

"What is it? What does it say?"

The Doctor reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pencil with an eraser on the tip. He rubs away at the ball.

"It is! Graphite! The stuff in pencils, you know?"

"Really? So you're saying I got attacked by…a _pencil scribble_?" I ask, not quite believing it. The Doctor takes a long whiff of the graphite ball, then holds it out for me. It still smells all metallic, and I scrunch up my nose.

"I hate the smell of metal," I mutter.

"You know what this means? Whatever's taking the children, it doesn't just take things, it can create them as well. But why would you make a scribble creature?"

"I dunno," I shrug, thinking for a moment. "Maybe it was just a mistake. You know, when you mess up, you scribble it out. Nudge used to love to draw, she was always designing clothes and things…when she messed up, she scribbled it out." Then my face lights up and I remember the girl I had seen through the window. She had pencils in her hand. She was drawing.

"What is it?" the Doctor asks in an excited whisper. "You've figured something out, what is it?"

'That girl!"

"What girl?"

"There was a girl I saw, through the window of that house…even her own mum looked scared of her…"

"Are you deducting?"

"Maybe I am."

"Let's go then!" the Doctor cries, hopping out of the captain's chair and picking up his jacket. He tugs it on quickly as he walks toward the door, then takes my hand and drags me along down the street. He's practically skipping up to the front door of the house. My eyes shift upward, looking for the young girl, and sure enough, she sits in front of the window, looking focused on something.

The Doctor knocks loudly on the front door, ringing the doorbell as well.

"You're like an impatient child," I tell him, rolling my eyes. Through the glass front door, I can make out the distorted figure of the woman I saw earlier that was taking out her recycling. She pauses at the door for a moment before opening it cautiously.

"Hello!" the Doctor says cheerfully, beaming at her. "I'm the Doctor and this is Rose. Can we see your daughter?"

"No!" the woman says quickly, frowning. Her tone is defensive and forceful. I eye her carefully. The Doctor shrugs.

"Okay," he accepts. He grabs me by the arm and guides me away from the door silently.

"Why?"

We turn back around at the sound of her voice. She narrows her eyes at us.

"Why do you want to see Chloe?"

"Well, we're investigating some interesting stuff going on in this street, and we were wondering if she might give us a hand. Sorry to bother you, we'll let you get on with things. Bye!" the Doctor says. He turns around again, walking off, and I follow him.

"Wait!" the woman cries. I turn around immediately. Her voice is desperate, her expression helpless. "Can you help her?"

"We can try," I tell her confidently. She nods, opening her door fully.

"Please, come in." I walk into the house, the Doctor a few feet behind me. The woman walks to the left, into a living room where the television is a murmur in the background.

"I'm Trish," she introduces. "Please, sit."

I plop myself down on the couch, and the Doctor tosses his coat next to me. He remains standing, and we listen intently to Trish as she talks.

"She stays in her room, most of the time. I try talking to her, but it's like trying to speak to a brick wall. She gives me nothing, just asks to be left alone."

"What about Chloe's dad? Is he around?"

"Chloe's dad died a year ago," she tells me, her tone bitter.

"I'm sorry," I say politely.

"You wouldn't be if you had known him," she says. The room is silent for an awkward moment, and the Doctor decides to break the ice.

"We should go and say hi," he says.

"I should go check on her first…she might be asleep," Trish says hesitantly. She brushes her hair behind her ear and wrings her hands together. Everything about her body language screams 'I'm terrified!'

"Why are you afraid of her?" I ask softly.

"I want you to know before you see her that she's a really great kid, I promise," she insists. I nod.

"I'm sure she is," the Doctor agrees.

"She's never been in trouble at school; you should see her report card. As and Bs. She's in the choir, she's singing in an old folk's home. Any mum would be proud. I want you to know these things before you see her, because right now she's not herself."

"Excuse me, Trish, I'm sorry, but do you think I could use your loo?" I interrupt.

"That's alright, go ahead. It's upstairs," she says. I nod, standing up and heading over toward the staircase. I really don't even need to use the bathroom. When I reach the top of the staircase, I note the light shining through a crack in a door. There's the rustling sound of movement, coming closer to me. I look around quickly before yanking open a closet door and stepping inside, closing it quietly behind me. Once the sound of Chloe's footsteps have passed, I step out into the hallway again.

The door was left open, and I step inside her room. The walls are plastered with drawings – from floor to ceiling, papers are tacked along the wall. I jump at a rattling sound, turning my gaze to the closet doors. I walk over to them quietly, pulling them open cautiously.

The light in the closet glows red, and I push the hanging clothes to the side carefully. I gasp, stumbling backwards and suddenly feeling sick. My eyes are wide and I can't take my eyes off the drawing of the bulky, bearded man with fury in his eyes that covers the wall of the closet.

"I'm coming…" he growls.

My heart pounds and my head spins. I bring a hand to my forehead, the other placing itself on my knee as I lean over, gasping for breath and trying to calm my racing heart. I stare with wide, terrified eyes at the man. I know him.

**~DW~**

_"Hello, Maximum." He walks through the door casually with his hands shoved into the deep pockets of his lab coat. I squint at the light from the hallway that beams at me into the previously dark room. I eye him wearily._

_ "What do you want?" I ask, my voice hoarse. My throat is dry. I'm thirsty. I want water. But I know better than to ask for something I want._

_ "You have been doing quite well with the drills and exercises lately," he says. I shudder at the thought of them and he continues._

_ "However…not quite well enough." His hands come out of his pockets, producing a syringe filled with an orange tinted liquid I've never seen before. He uses his free hand to unlock the cage door. Subconsciously, I push myself as far away from it as I can, cowering in the corner. My filthy, unwashed hair hangs in my eyes, and almost makes me feel hidden and safe. But in the School, I'm never safe._

_ "What is that?" I ask weakly._

_ "Just a new drug we've created. It should improve your body's performance," he answers, smiling viciously. I swallow, my jaw trembling._

_ "Please, no. Not another one. I'm sorry; I'll try harder next time! I can't…" I stutter in protest. I don't want another drug in my system. They make me sick._

_ "How many times have I told you, Maximum?" he snaps, glaring at me. I flinch, trying to keep my hands from shaking. I clench the bars of my cage. My knuckles turn white and my fingernails dig into my palms so deep they draw blood._

_ "Some people have to suffer for the greater good," I recite, my voice trembling. He steps closer menacingly. _

_ "Exactly. Good girl. It's only a steroid. You've been given these before, haven't you?" he says, his voice sickly sweet, like he's talking to a baby. I bite my lip, trying to back further away from him, only to have the bars of my cage dig into my back. I wince._

_ "Answer me, maximum!" he thunders. I nod, whimpering. _

_ "Yes," I reply, my voice cracking. My entire body is shaking, and part of me wishes he would just stick the needle in my arm and leave me alone._

_ "You're such a little snob," he growls, kicking me in the side. Pain shoots up and down my body and I try to cry out, but all that comes out is a raspy gasping sound. "Why can't you be grateful? Don't you realize what we're doing for the world? Don't you?"_

_ I breathe deeply, bringing my hand to the side of my stomach. It hurts to breathe._

_ "I'm going to say it again, Maximum, and an answer would be appreciated," he snarls. "Don't you realize what we're doing for the world? How amazing this is?"_

_ I try to form a response, but I can't speak._

_ "You disobedient bitch, I told you to answer me!"_

_ He kicks me again, harder, and I can hear the sound when one of my ribs cracks. Pain explodes in my torso, and I whimper loudly._

_ "Stop, please," I cry, tears beginning to stream down my cheeks._

_ "Apologize."_

_ "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I gasp._

_ "Thought so. You had better watch yourself. Next time, I might not be so forgiving."_

_ There's a sharp pain in my arm as he jabs the needle through my skin. He yanks it out and stomps out of the cage, slamming the door and locking g it behind him. With one last glare, he grabs his pen and clipboard and makes his way out of the room. I can hear the sound of the heavy door clicking as it locks. The small amount of light from the hallway disappears, flooding the room with darkness. I lie down on the cool metal floor and cry, begging that the suffering will end._

**~DW~**

I fight the urge to be sick, falling to my knees. He did so much to me, so many awful things. One of the worst whitecoats there was.

"Doctor!" I cry, hugging myself. His footsteps pound on the stairs almost immediately. He rushes into the room, slamming the closet doors without even glancing at the drawing. I can still see him though – the furious red eyes and menacing smile.

The Doctor drops to his knees in front of me, his hands coming to each side of my face. His forehead presses against mine and he looks into my eyes.

"Doctor," I breathe, my heart still racing. "The drawing…he…I…"

"Chloe, what have you been drawing?" Trish demands.

"I drew him yesterday."

"Who?"

"Dad," Chloe says simply.

"He's your father?" I cry, practically hyperventilating. Then it clicks. I knew Chloe looked familiar.

"Yes. I dream about him, staring at me," Chloe says.

"He was a _whitecoat_. Did he experiment on you, too? Because God knows he did awful things to me," I say.

"Wait – you were an experiment?" Trish gasps, her eyes widening. "I'm so sorry…"

"Chloe's father worked for the School?" the Doctor clarifies. Trish nods. I clutch at the Doctor's arms. He wraps them around me tightly, murmuring in my ear.

"It's okay, Rose. You're safe now. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, I promise."

"I'm sorry, I'm being stupid…" I mutter, embarrassed.

"No you're not. It's only natural," he says softly, stroking my hair. "But he's gone. I'm here."

I nod into his jacket, taking a deep breath and turning to face Trish.

"That drawing is _alive_. It _spoke_ to me," I say. Trish crosses her arms.

"He's dead," she says. "It's only a picture. I'm done with this nonsense. We've been through too much already. Get out of my house. I never want to hear another word about the School again."

"Chloe has a power, Trish," the Doctor says. "I don't know how yet, but she used it to take those kids."

"Have you seen them? The drawings? They move!" I insist, gesturing around the room. "This – this isn't about the School. This is so much more than that. It's not natural."

"I haven't seen anything. You're absolutely mental! They messed with your mind!" Trish cries.

"You have, though," the Doctor says. "Out of the corner of your eye, you've seen them move. But you dismissed it, because what choice do you have when you can't explain it?" He stands, pulling my gently to my feet along with him. Slowly, he walks closer to Trish.

"You're terrified of her, terrified of what the School has done to her, but this is beyond them. There's no one to turn to, because no one will believe you. But I will. Rose will. She's experienced it herself, she's been through the same things Chloe has. We're here to help."

**~DW~**

Trish leads us back down to the kitchen to talk and try to figure things out. The Doctor heads straight for the fridge, pulling out a jar of marmalade, screwing off the top, and eating it with his fingers. I raise an eyebrow at him, and he sheepishly replaces the lid and slides the jar behind him on the counter.

"Those pictures are alive. She draws people, and they end up in her pictures," I summarize, rattling off all the information e have – which isn't much.

"Ionic energy," the Doctor adds. "She's harnessing ionic energy, stealing those kids and placing them in a holding pen made up of ionic power."

"But what about the whitecoat in the wardrobe?" I ask. "He's dead, didn't you say Trish?"

"Yeah."

"Well," the Doctor considers, "if living things can become drawings, then maybe drawings can become living things…"

"Oh, god," I say quietly, the color draining from my face. The Doctor glances at me sympathetically, reaching across the distance between us and taking my hand. He squeezes it gently, lacing our fingers together.

"Chloe's real dad is dead, but not the one who visits her in her dreams. He seems very real. That's the dad she drew."

"She always got the worst of it when he was alive. He did so many terrible things to her…" Trish says, trailing off and meeting my eyes. "I'm sorry about what he did to you. He was always trying out his new drugs on her, seeing how much her body could take…sometimes he would hit her, sometimes me. I can only imagine what he did to you."

"Don't apologize, you didn't do anything," I say, my eyes flickering down to the floor. "We just need to figure out how Chloe is doing all of this."

"Let's go then," the Doctor says quickly, pulling me out of the kitchen and back up the stairs. He heads straight into Chloe's room, where she is sitting cross-legged on the bed. She gives him the 'live long and prosper' sign from Star Trek. The Doctor grins.

"Nice one," he says. He kneels in front of her, bringing his hands to her temples and closing his eyes. She flops backward onto the bed.

"I can't let him do this…" Trish says urgently, sounding scared. I grab her arm and hold her back.

"You can trust him. He's not like the whitecoats, I promise. I trust him with my life."

The Doctor straightens up.

"Now we can talk."

Chloe responds to him, but her voice comes out in an echoing whisper. It's not her voice – it's something else.

"I want Chloe. Wake her up. I want Chloe."

"Who are you?"

"I want Chloe Webber!"

"What have you done to my little girl?" Trish cries. I rub her arm comfortingly.

"Doctor, what is it?" I ask.

"I'm speaking to you, the entity that possesses this human child. I request parlez in compliance with the Shadow Proclamation."

"I don't care about shadows or parlez."

"So what do you care about?"

"I want my friends."

"You're lonely, I know. Identify yourself."

"I am one of many. I travel with my brothers and sisters. We take an endless journey. A thousand of your lifetimes. But now I am alone. It's not fair. I hate it!"

Chloe's eyes snap open.

"Name yourself!" the Doctor orders.

"Isolus!"

"Of course," the Doctor says. "You're Isolus."

"What is he talking about?" Trish asks me.

"I have no idea. Doctor?"

"The Isolus Mother drifts in deep space. She jettisons millions of spores, her children. Isolus are empathetic beings, they've intense emotions. When they're cast off from the mother, their need for each other is what sustains them. They can't be alone. The children travel inside a pod, riding the heat energy of solar tides. It takes them thousands and thousands of years to grow up."

"Poor things, floating around space for thousands of years by themselves…" I frown.

"We play."

"You play?"

"While they travel, they play games. They use ionic power to literally create make believe worlds to play in," the Doctor explains. "It helps to keep them happy. They feed off each other's love. They're lost without it." He turns to the Isolus. "Why did you come to Earth?"

Chloe's hand holds a pencil. She scribbles madly at a notebook filled with drawing paper, not even looking at what she's doing, but something takes shape. The speed is inhuman.

"That's a solar flare from your sun. It would've scattered the Isolus pods," the Doctor realizes.

"Only I fell to Earth. My brothers and sisters are left up there. I cannot reach them. So alone."

"Your pod crashed. Where is it?"

"My pod was drawn to heat. I was drawn to Chloe Webber. She was like me. So alone. She needed me. As I needed her. I want my family. It's not fair."

My heart aches for the Isolus. I know what it's like to be alone without a family. She sounds like a young child, calling out for help.

"I understand, you want your family," the Doctor says with a comforting tone. "But you can't stay inside Chloe. It's wrong, stealing friends for yourself."

"I am alone."

The wardrobe thumps, the doors rattling slightly. I jump away from it, wide eyed, and my heart starts beating faster than usual.

"I'm coming to hurt you…."

"No," I whisper, backing away further from the door. I rub at my eyes.

_It's not real, it's not real. It's not real._

"Trish, how do you calm her when she has nightmares?" the Doctor asks urgently, snapping me out of my train of thought. I unsuccessfully try to tune out the pounding from the closet.

"I sing to her," Trish says, her voice trembling.

"Then come sing," the Doctor says. I glance at Chloe's trembling body, trying to regain control of my own. Trish sits carefully next to her daughter, tears streaming slowly down her cheeks. Only part of me registers the lullaby that she sings.

Another thump from the wardrobe makes me flinch, and my face pales. I give a small cry when I feel a hand gripping my shoulder, pulling away quickly. Then I realize it's only the Doctor, looking concerned.

"It's okay, Rose," he says softly, pulling me into his arms. I don't say a word, just hug him tightly. The wardrobe thumps again. I jerk my head around to look at it.

"No, don't look," the Doctor says, placing a hand on my cheek and guiding my line of vision to his. He kisses my forehead gently, murmuring comforting things in my ear. I don't know how long I stand there, but it feels like forever, anticipating the worst. Waiting for the whitecoat to come back for me, to take me to the School and start the suffering all over again.

"You're alright, Rose," the Doctor says quietly. "It's over."

He pulls away from me slowly, brushing my hair out of my eyes. For a moment, we just look at each other. Then, in a sudden movement, he kisses me on the cheek. I barely have time to register the fact that his lips are on my skin before he's gone.

"I'm always going to keep you safe," he whispers. "I promise."

**~DW~**

Chloe has fallen asleep, so I head back down to the living room with the Doctor and Trish. She gathers stray pencils lying around the room, and the Doctor helps her. I sit down on the couch and pick at my chipping nail polish.

"Rose," Trish says. I glance up at her.

"Yeah?"

"If you don't mind my asking…what did he do to you?"

"Well…how much do you know about the way the School operates?" I ask. Trish shakes her head.

"I just know that once I had Chloe, he was experimenting on her. I didn't know it was happening, at first. One day I walked in on him giving her an injection. She had to be only four at the time…I was angry. I yelled at him…but he hit me. He threatened that if I told anyone, he would kill me _and_ her. So I kept my mouth shut. Then one day I got a phone call. There was some sort of accident while he had been working."

"He never took her into the lab?"

"Not that I know of."

"So Chloe has never met any other experiments."

"There are more?"

"There are hundreds. All of us are used for different purposes. You see, there's different…branches, you could say, in the School. They all had specific areas of research and investigation. From what you've told me, it sounds like Chloe was used to test new drugs and vaccinations. I was in a different branch than that – the one for genetic hybrids and mutations. I'm only 98% human; the other 2% is avian DNA. They were trying to find ways to advance the biology of humans, basically. So they created me, and a number of other experiments. They would test those drugs on us, too, to see how our bodies reacted to them. They would torture us, to see how much we could handle. When we talked back or misbehaved, there was always punishment. Chloe lucked out, really. She never had to live like that, in a cage."

Trish looks more and more horrified and disgusted as I keep talking.

"Oh, my goodness….Rose, I am so sorry…"

"Please, don't. It's over now. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Trish nods, sighing. "I should've talked to Chloe…we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Maybe that's why she's so lonely," I suggest. "She feels like she has no one to talk to."

"Her and the Isolus…two lonely kids who need each other," the Doctor muses.

"Will it ever stop, Doctor? Or just keep taking more and more people?"

"It's used to a pretty big family," the Doctor says, shaking his head. "Around four billion, I would say. We need to find the Isolus' pod, so we can send it back home."

"We should get going, then," I say, standing up. I grab the Doctor's jacket that he had tossed onto the couch earlier and throw it to him. He slides it on, nodding at Trish.

"We'll be back, yeah?"

"Thank you," she says. "Please…help me get Chloe back."

**~DW~**

The Doctor and I walk down the sidewalk in front of the Webber's house. We glance up at Chloe's form through the window. I turn away quickly, getting eerie chills.

"If the Isolus crashed, won't the pod be destroyed?"

"No, it's been sucking in all the heat that it can. Hopefully it will be in a good enough state to launch. It's got be close to here, it should have a weak energy signature, but the TARDIS can trace it. Once we find it, we can stop the Isolus."

We head back to the TARDIS and the Doctor makes a beeline toward the computer scanner.

"All we need to do is scan for the same energy trace from the scribble creature. Just widen the field a bit…" he explains, fumbling with a few scraps of machinery. He's obviously putting something together, but I'm not even going to try and guess what, because I would never get it right.

"I feel bad for the Isolus," I sigh. "The poor thing is so lonely…"

"Really? I would've pinned for the opposite," the Doctor says, glancing up at me for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…could you hand me the magnetic…the thing right there! You see?" he says, nodding violently at a tool on the console. I hand it to him and he continues. "I would've thought you'd be protective of Chloe, and angry that the Isolus was using her."

"I mean, yeah, that's not right, but…" I trail off. "I know what it's like. To live and travel on your own, abandoned by your family."

He's silent for a moment, and then holds out his hand.

"Gum."

I pause in my chewing, having totally forgotten I was chewing gum. When did I get gum? I shrug, spitting it out into his hand.

"There we go!" he says cheerfully. "You see, Rose, fear and loneliness are the big ones. Some of the most terrible acts ever committed have been inspired by them. We're not dealing with something that wants to conquer or destroy. We're dealing with a child, a child that's afraid and lonely. You've raised a family, you know just as well as I do."

I pause, treading carefully. "You…say that like you've done it too."

"Done what?"

"Raised a family."

"I was a dad once," he says casually, continuing his work as if he didn't just drop the bombshell of the century. I stare at him, openmouthed.

"What? Really?"

He ignores my question, standing up.

"There we go!" he announces, holding out his new contraption and pressing a few buttons on the console. "You know, Rose…loneliness isn't fun. You've been there, and so have I. But now we've got each other, yeah? 'Cos there are a lot of things you need to get across the universe. Warp drive, wormhole refractors…" He points at the respective buttons and levers on the console, and I smile at him fondly, touched by his words. "But the thing you need most of all? A hand to hold."

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a flashing white light on the console screen, and I point at it. The Doctor misunderstands and grasps my hand tightly, grinning at me. I laugh.

"No! Look! On the screen, I'm pointing!"

"It's the pod, it's in the street!" he says excitedly, bounding out the doors. I shake my head, smiling after him, slightly thoughtful.

He was a dad once…to put it simply, I didn't see that coming. I guess I should've known. I think of Angel. I know how much she loves the Doctor, and how she thinks of him as her dad. I remember his reaction the other day…

_"Angel says hi, and that she loves you."_

_ "What?"_

And whack. Right on the bottom of the console, he had a mark on his head for the next two days. No wonder he's got such a soft spot for her.

I snap out of my thoughts and head out the door, rushing to catch up with the Doctor who's nearly halfway down the street already. He looks closely at his new…tracker thing. Yeah, let's go with tracker. I assume it's giving him readings.

"Okay…it's about two inches across, dull grey, like a gull's egg. Not very heavy."

"These pods travel from sun to sun using heat, yeah? So it's not all about love and stuff. The pod just needs heat?" I ask, looking around the street behind me. I snap back around at a crashing sound. The tracker lies in pieces, shattered on the pavement, and the Doctor is gone. I look toward the direction of the TARDIS – she's gone too.

She drew him. He's gone.

For a moment, I stand frozen in the street with shock, but I recover almost immediately and run straight down the street to the Webber's front door. The moment Trish opens the door, I push past her and bound up the stairs, my footsteps slamming.

I burst through the door to Chloe's bedroom without even knocking, striding right up to the desk where she scribbles away. I yank the paper out of her grasp, careful not to rip it. I don't even want to think about what would happen if it did. The Doctor and the TARDIS are drawn on the paper, right down to the pin stripes on the Doctor's suit.

"Leave me alone! I want to be with Chloe Webber! I love Chloe Webber!"

I ignore the Isolus' cries and glare at her. "Bring him back. _Now._"

"No!"

I slam the paper down on the table, grabbing Chloe by the shoulders.

"Do you _realize_ what you've done? He was the only one who could've helped you! Bring him back! NOW!"

"Leave me alone! I love Chloe Webber!"

I take a deep breath, releasing Chloe's shoulders. I remember the Doctor's words.

_"We're not dealing with something that wants to conquer or destroy. We're dealing with a child, a child that's afraid and lonely."_

"I know," I sigh. "I know." I glance down at the drawing of the Doctor, feeling slightly ridiculous.

"Doctor…I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I'm gonna get you out of there. I'll find the pod, and I'll get you back. The TARDIS too. I promise, I won't stop until I do." I turn to Trish. "Don't leave her alone. No matter what."

**~DW~**

I start walking down the street. I need to find somewhere hot. That's where to pod would have ended up. And the Doctor's contraption is absolutely useless now, shattered into however many pieces.

"Heat. They travel on heat," I mutter to myself.

"Look at this finish. Smooth as a baby's bottom," Kel says proudly, patting the solid blacktop. "Not a bump or a lump." I head over to him.

"Kel, was there anything in this street in the last few days giving off a lot of heat?"

"I mean, you could _eat_ off of this thing…" he continues, not even listening to me. "Tell me why the other one's got a lump when I gave it the same love and craftsmanship I did this one!"

"When you've worked that out, make a book about it. New York Times Bestseller list, that'll be. But right now I need you to think back six days and tell me if anything was giving off a lot of heat."

"Six days…" he murmurs thoughtfully. "Oh! That's when I was laying this the first time around. I filled in this pothole for the first time."

"Tar!" I realize. "Hot, fresh tar! Oh, brilliant!" I slap the pavement happily, heading directly to the white council van and throwing the doors open.

"Oi, that's a council van. Out," Kel says, shooing me away. I ignore him, grabbing the axe that I was looking for.

"Hey! You just removed a council axe from a council van. Put it back! Put it back in the van! No, that's my axe! Give me the axe!"

Then I stride right up to the pothole and bring it crashing down in the road with all the force I can muster – which is quite a lot. The concrete smashes, and I dig around in the pieces.

"You just took a council axe from a council van and now you're digging up a council road! I'm reporting you to the council!"

"I found it!" I exclaim, pulling the pod from the rubble. Exactly the way the Doctor described – two inches across, dull grey like a gulls egg.

"What is it?"

"It's a spaceship! Not a council spaceship, sorry about that," I tell Kel, running off to the Webbers' house and leaving the axe lying in the street. I hear Kel rushing after me.

"I found it!" I announce, crashing through the front door. Trish looks up at me from the television. "I don't know what to do with it, but maybe the Isolus will just hop on board…wait a minute! I told you not to leave her alone!"

"My god…err…what's going on here?"

We turn toward the television screen. The entire crowd in the Olympic stadium has vanished.

"She drew them…" I groan. Kel suddenly bursts into the room.

"Listen, I don't care if you've got Snow White and the Seven Dwarves under there, you don't go digging up the street like that!"

"Kel? Shut up. Just shut up, and _look_."

He sighs, frustrated, but does what I told him and turns toward the television. He adopts a confused expression almost immediately.

"What…where is everybody?"

"The crowd has vanished!" cries the commentator. "Thousands of people, just gone, right in front of my eyes. This is impossible. Bob, can we join you, um, in the box? Bob? Not you too, Bob!"

The screen cuts to an empty box. I groan.

"The Isolus won't stop. The stadium isn't enough. It has four _billion_ brothers and sisters," I say. "We need to get those pencils off her." I run upstairs, right up to Chloe's door. Trish is right on my heels, reaching around me to the door handle. It jiggles, but doesn't open.

"Get out of the way!" I say urgently. Trish jumps out of the way, and I slam my fist into the door. I punch a hole right through, feeling around and finding the chair that's barricading it. I push it out of the way, throwing it across the room, and slam the door open.

"Chloe!" Trish shouts. My eyes widen at the drawing she's outlined on the wall. Planet Earth – she's just going to take the entire planet, all at once.

"I've got to stop her," I say, reaching out to grab Chloe's arms, but the wardrobe doors rattle. I immediately jump backwards and stare at the doors with wide eyes.

"If you stop Chloe Webber, I will let him out," the Isolus says. "We will let him out together. I cannot be alone. It's not fair."

"Look though!" I protest, holding out the pod. "I've got your pod, you can go home now! You can't let him out, please, you can't…" I swallow thickly, my hands shaking.

"The pod is dead."

"No it isn't! It only needs heat! I can do that, I can give you heat!" I say desperately, holding out my arm and producing flames from my fingertips. "See? Fire! Heat!" I'm still watching the wardrobe doors warily. I can hear the whitecoat growling.

"It needs more than heat." I let the flames die.

"What, then? What? I'll find it; I'll make it, whatever I have to do, just stop!"

"I'm not being funny or anything, but that picture just moved," Kel says, his eyes wide. I look over at him, and follow the direction his finger is pointing in. The drawing of the Doctor and the TARDIS. I rush over it, nearly tripping when I'm startled by the sound of the pounding coming from the wardrobe.

"He drew this," I mutter to myself, seeing the Olympic Torch the Doctor must have drawn. He's pointing at it. "But it needs more than heat, it needs something else, what does it need?"

I close my eyes and try to tune out every sound in the room. Ignore the growling and banging in the wardrobe. Ignore the shouts and cries of Trish. Ignore the scribbling of the pencils on the wall, the crinkling of the paper as the breeze washes through the room. Ignore the Olympic broadcast coming from Chloe's laptop…wait.

"It's much more than a torch now, it's a beacon. A beacon of hope and fortitude and courage. A beacon of love."

My eyes snap open. "Love!" I cry. I know what I need to do immediately. I run out of the room, down the stairs, and into the street, where people have gathered to watch the Olympic torch run by. I squeeze through the crowd to the front, ignoring the jabs in the side by everyone's elbows and the roaring screeches of excitement in my ear.

"Sorry, you can't come any further, miss," says a police officer. I frown, protesting.

"No, I need to get closer, you don't understand…"

I cut off when I hear a chirp come from the pod. I look down at it, as it's started glowing.

"You feel it, don't you?" I say. "You feel the love." I look down at the pod one last time, and back up at the Olympic torch as the runner goes by. Then I throw it.

I bite my lip anxiously as the pod hurtles through the air, making a neat landing in the flames of the Olympic torch. I jump up excitedly.

"Yes!"

"You did it!" Kel cries. I blink with surprise, not realizing he had followed me. "What exactly did you do?"

"Mummy!" I hear. Kel and I turn toward the sound. One of the missing children runs toward a woman, who has happy tears in her eyes. I smile at the scene, but my heart sinks slightly. Where is the Doctor?

"Where is he? He should be here…" I say worriedly. "All the drawings have come to life…" Then my face pales and I freeze, my gaze turning to Chloe's bedroom window. I can see the glowing red light from here. "I have to warn them."

I run to the front door as quickly as I can, but it's already too late. The door slams shut as I'm rushing up the porch steps, locking Chloe and Trish on the other side. I pound on the door.

"Trish, you've got to get out! Find a way out, hurry!"

"The door's stuck!"

"Is the Doctor in there?"

"Mummy…" Chloe says, and I can detect the fear in her tone. Heavy footsteps pound on the second floor and my body starts to tremble. I fight the urge to run and hide. I have to save Chloe and Trish; I have to get them out of here somehow. The Doctor's not here. I have to save myself.

"Chloe, listen to me," I say quickly. "It isn't real like the others. It's just energy leftover from the Isolus, but you can get rid of it. It's because you're scared that he's real. You can get shot of him Chloe, you can! You can do it!"

"I can't!"

"I'm with you, Chloe," Trish tells her daughter reassuringly. "You're not alone. You never will be again."

I remember how Trish comforted Chloe earlier.

"Trish! Sing to her!"

Chloe starts to sing the lullaby, and Trish joins her in the song. The threats and growls from the whitecoat get slowly quieter, until it's completely gone. I take a deep breath and lean my forehead against the cool glass of the front door, sliding down onto my knees.

The Doctor still isn't here.

Kel finds me on the steps and offers a hand, helping me up.

"I can't find the Doctor," I say worriedly, fumbling with my hands nervously.

"Maybe he's just gone somewhere," Kel suggests. I hope he's right. He opens the door to the Webber's house, and leads me into the living room. Trish and Chloe have turned on the television to watch the Olympic torch finish its run. The crowd has returned to the stadium.

"Eight thousand people, all come back…so where's the Doctor?" I ask, close to tears. How is he the only one who hasn't come back? "I need him."

"The torch bearer seems to be in a bit of trouble. We did see earlier that he may have gotten struck by lightning…he's possibly injured. Definitely in trouble," reports the commentator. As he finishes his sentence, the torch bearer collapses. Everyone gasps.

"Does this mean the Olympic Dream is dead?" the commentator asks dramatically. Then an arm comes into view on the screen, picking up the torch. An arm clad in brown and blue pinstripes.

A wide smile crosses my face, and the Doctor is shown running alongside the crowd, holding the torch high in the air. I make a mental note to kill him later on for not coming to find me right away.

"There's a mystery man, he's picked up the flame! We've no idea who he is…he's carrying the flame, yes! He's carrying the flame and no one wants to stop him. It's more than a flame now. It's more than heat and light. It's hope. And it's courage. And it's love."

**~DW~**

I walk along down the street, past all the tables set up with various foods and desserts. The street had a barbecue. I noticed a table with cupcakes earlier, and laughed when I saw they had edible ball bearings. The Doctor has mentioned those earlier today. So I got him one, and I still have it. He still hasn't returned.

But then I catch a glimpse of the brown spiky hair sticking out in the crowd, and approach from behind.

"Cake?" I offer loudly, holding out the cupcake with a grin. He turns around, his face brightening when he sees me. Then he looks down at the cupcake and starts to laugh.

"You remembered! You _do _listen when I'm rambling!"

"Of course I do," I say, handing the cupcake off to him once he walks closer. He takes a huge bite, at least half the cupcake, and swallows. I shake my head, smiling. I watch him finish off the cupcake, and then throw my arms around him.

"I thought I had lost you," I say, my voice slightly muffled by his jacket.

"Can't get rid of me that easy, Rose Tyler. Now, care to actually get around to the Olympic Games? What we came here for?"

"I don't know, I…" I begin, but I'm cut off by a firework exploding overhead. I look up into the sky, feeling the Doctor take my hand.

I want to say something about how the universe keeps trying to split us up, but they never ever will, because I won't let it. But I know that's not true. Never say never ever. I said that once. And I was let down.

**~DW~**

Later that night, back in the TARDIS, I take a calming shower and put on the most comfortable pajamas I have. Then I realize how hungry I am and head to the kitchen to grab myself some tea and biscuits. Walking through the door, I nearly run into the Doctor, almost falling over.

"Oh! There you are!" he says, reaching out and grabbing me by the shoulders to steady my balance. "I was just about to come get you and see if you wanted some tea."

"You read my mind," I say with a laugh, looking over his shoulder at the kettle on the stove. He grins at me.

"I'm just that good, aren't I?"

"Oi, shut it, you."

"That's not the way to talk to your designated driver," he says, releasing my shoulders and heading over to the stove. I walk to the cabinets, opening a door, and the biscuits are right where I needed them to be. I thank the TARDIS silently, taking out the box and digging my hand into it. I shove a biscuit in my mouth. When I turn back to the Doctor, he's raising an eyebrow at me.

"Hungry, are we?" he asks with a laugh. I nod, chewing. The kettle whistles just as the Doctor pulls two mugs out of the cabinet. I take a seat at the table, and a minute later, he places a hot cup of tea in front of me.

"Here you are, milady," he says in a very proper voice. I snort, rolling my eyes at him. He just grins cheekily, taking his seat across from me. We sit, drinking tea and munching on biscuits in comfortable silence.

Then we don't.

"Rose?" the Doctor asks, slightly hesitantly. I sigh. I knew this was coming. When the Doctor says he wants to talk, he doesn't forget about it.

"Yeah. We need to talk, I know," I say, practically already dreading it. I might not be entirely Maximum Ride anymore, but I still hate opening up and talking about my feelings. I don't think that's ever going to be easy for me. "Where do you want to start?"

"Well…" the Doctor says. "I want to start with an apology."

My jaw drops. "An apology? For what?"

"I was so oblivious to the way Max's death affected you. I should have paid more attention, and asked you how you were. I never said a word. It's easy for me to forget sometimes that humans are more sensitive to those things than Time Lords are. I mean, I've seen myself die plenty of times – regeneration has always been a part of my life. But you're human. You lost part of yourself, and that couldn't have been easy for you."

"Okay, right now. Stop talking and let me go." The Doctor's mouth snaps shut, his teeth clicking, and I lean forward slightly.

"None of this is your fault. Max made the choice to die. Don't ask how I know, I just do. I would've made the same decision if I had been in her shoes. Ella's life – anyone's life is more valuable than mine is. You couldn't have stopped her even if you had tried. You got Ella out of there and that was exactly what you needed to do. There was nothing you could do to save Max. So there is no reason to be apologizing right now."

"Do you really think that?" the Doctor asks quietly. I stare at him.

"Of course I do. It's not your fault-"

"No. Do you really believe that anyone's life is more valuable than your own? Because you're wrong." He gently takes my hand. I glance down at our entwined fingers.

"Rose, look at me," the Doctor says. I meet his eyes again. "You really don't believe it, do you? You have no idea how wonderful you are. You have no idea how many people would be devastated if you died. How many people would miss you when you were gone?"

"I mean…"

"Angel. Your mum. Even the Flock, you always talk about them, even now, after all these years it's been since you've seen each other. Don't you reckon they talk about you, too? They probably miss you just as much as you miss them. And you know who else would miss you if you died? I would," he whispers fiercely. "I have no idea what I am going to do with myself once you're gone. You're one of the best things that's ever happened to me, Rose, alright? And to so many other people too. And you need to know that."

My heart swells and a lump grows in my throat. I brush my hair behind my ear with the hand the Doctor isn't holding and stare down at the table.

"Promise me you'll move on."

"What?"

"When I'm gone," I clarify, clearing my throat and blinking back tears. "When I die, move on. I don't want you to mourn for me, okay? I hate it when you're not happy. I don't want you to have to live like that. You're the greatest thing that ever happened to me, too. And I don't think _you_ know that."

My eyes flicker up to meet his again, and he stares at me.

"We make each other better, yeah?"

"Yeah," he agrees hoarsely. He clears his throat. "Now – about that gun…"

"I'm sorry," I interrupt immediately, my face flushing. "Really, I am. I don't want you to be disappointed in me. But I need to be able to protect myself. What would I have done today? That drawing of that whitecoat, it almost came back to life. You weren't there to help me. I would've been completely defenseless. I was already terrified out of my mind. He did so much to me…"

"Hey," he says softly, stroking my hand with his thumb. "It's over now, yeah? You're alright."

"But what if I wasn't? What if he got me again? I would need to be able to defend myself, wouldn't I? And I'm not like you. I can't talk my way out of trouble. _Especially_ with a whitecoat."

"I know, Rose. Which is why I'm not going to tell you to stop carrying the gun. I should've thought of it myself, honestly. Just…promise me you won't use it unless you really need to, okay?"

"I promise," I say, untwining our fingers and linking our pinkies together. He smiles at me.

"Oh! And I almost forgot!" he exclaims, reaching into his front pocket. He pulls out his sonic screwdriver, pressing the button. But when the light shines in my face, it doesn't glow blue – it glows pink. And looking closer, I can see that the casing isn't silver, it's gold-tinted.

"Pink and yellow screwdriver for my pink and yellow human," the Doctor grins, putting it in my hand. I huge smile crosses my face, and my heart picks up in my chest.

"You made this? For me?" I ask, touched. He nods.

"I figured you could use it, all the trouble we get into. It's got all the same setting as mine, so you know how to use it already, for the most part. I put a manual on your nightstand, in case you need it."

"Thank you," I say, beaming. I get up and walk around the table to hug him tightly. "You didn't have to go to the trouble, really."

"I wanted to, Rose. You're worth it, you know. You're worth everything."

I smile at the wall over his shoulder, blinking back tears.

"Well, you're worth it too. The trouble, the danger – I wouldn't miss it for the world."


	34. Army of Ghosts

**A/N: And here we are…the chapters everyone has been waiting for. Sorry it's a bit late, I really wanted to take my time with this one and iron it out. **

**~DW~**

In all my time travelling with the Doctor, there were a few things that never crossed my mind. Of course, the things that you don't work to prevent are the things that tend to happen, aren't they?

I want to say that for the first nineteen years of my life, nothing ever happened. That the Doctor came and swept me away, into a world of magic that I never would have guessed existed. But that would be a lie – things did happen. I was special. I was _made_ to be special. Scientists engineered my genes, added avian DNA to a normal human embryo. I was born a mutation, a freak. And I was not alone. I had a family, at one point.

But what happens when your family is gone? I was on my own, I was lonely, I was depressed, I was angry at everything. Angry at the world – including myself. When my family was gone, I was broken. At least until I found a new one.

It never crossed my mind that they could be gone one day, too. So here we are, months after the army of ghosts. Months after Torchwood and the War. Months after it all ended.

I had a family, once. Then they were gone, and I found a new one. But now they're gone too. This is the story of how they died.

**~DW~**

"Mum!" I shout down the hall, dropping my large duffel bag on the floor. "We're back!"

"Rose? Is that you? The Doctor with you?"

"Yeah, it's us!" I call down the hallway as the Doctor shuts the door behind him and locks it with a click.

"I don't know why you bother with that phone, you never use it!"

"Oh, shut up," I laugh, holding out my arms. "Come here!"

Mum rounds the corner and hugs me tightly, lifting me up as high as she can, but my feet still brush across the floor.

"Okay, Mum. Suffocating me. You can put me down now."

"Sorry, love!" she cries, releasing me. I breathe deeply, smiling as she attacks the Doctor.

"Oh no you don't," she says as he tries to walk past. She plants one on him and I can barely contain my laughter as he scrunches his face up disgustedly, wiping his mouth off like he's just been dared to lick the telephone pole. Mum releases him and waves us on toward the kitchen.

"Where's Angel?" I ask, wondering why she and Total haven't already come screeching and giggling down the hallway. "I bought her something. I've got one for you, too. See?" I dig into my pocket and take out the smooth, flat stones I bought on Kafoot 8. "What's it called, Doctor?"

I turn to him, seeing he's taken a seat at the table and started reading the paper. He glances up.

"Bezoolium," he fills in, and returns to his magazine.

"Bezoolium! Isn't that a great name for something? Anyway, when it's going to rain, it feels cold, and when it feels hot, it's going to be sunny! Isn't that brilliant, you can use a stone to tell the weather! And it's a hundred times more accurate than the meteorologists. We got these from the leader of the planet after we saved them from an invasion…"

"Angel and Total are spending the weekend with Sarah Jane," Mum explains, taking mugs out of the cabinet. "You two are just in time, I made tea! And you'll never guess who's coming to visit!"

"Who? You know I hate guessing games."

"Granddad Prentice!"

"What the actual hell are you talking about, Mum?" I ask, confused. "You told me Granddad Prentice died before you even met Pete. I've never met him before. How could he possibly be coming to visit?"

She doesn't answer my question, just continues bustling around the kitchen like she hasn't just announced a visit from a dead relative. Are we having a séance or something?

"She's gone mad," I declare, looking at the Doctor.

"Tell me something new," he says, watching Mum carefully. He really is terrified of her. It's extremely amusing.

"Really, though. She's absolutely lost it!"

"See, Rose! Come here!" Mum shouts from the living room. I walk toward the sound of her voice, the Doctor getting up and following. She stands in front of the television set, her arms crossed. And out of nowhere, a figure steps into the living room. Literally – out of thin air, there's just a featureless ghost thing standing in the dead center of the room.

"What the hell?" the Doctor mutters, everything about his body language screaming _whaaaa…? I'm confused_ He strides out of the flat, and I hurry after him. He stops, looking over the railing. They're everywhere, just walking about like ordinary people. No one even acknowledges their presence. A group of boys plays a ball game, completely ignoring the ghosts. Other people just walk the streets like they would any other day, and act like nothing odd is happening.

"They haven't got long," Mum says behind us. "The midday shift doesn't last very long, only two minutes."

Sure enough, as she speaks, the ghosts fade away. No one even looks up.

"Shifts?" the Doctor cries, pacing back and forth and tugging at his hair madly. "What do you mean, shifts? Since when do ghosts have shifts? Since when do shifts have ghosts? What the hell is going on?"

"Doctor, shut up!" I interrupt. He freezes, staring at me with wide, confused eyes.

"He's not very happy when he isn't the smartest person in the room, is he?" Mum says, patting him on the shoulder sympathetically. The Doctor scowls at her.

"But no one is freaking out or running around screaming or…"

"Doctor!" I interrupt again. He shuts his mouth quickly, sulking. I look at Mum. "Explain, please."

"Come on, then," she says, motioning for us to follow her inside. She turns on the television and the Doctor plops himself right down on the floor in front of it. He usually sits there because that's where Angel likes to watch, and sits with her.

"This program, it's called Ghostwatch," Mum says, pointing at the television. "It's sort of like the news, you could say."

"Today on Ghostwatch, people are reporting that some of the ghosts have started to talk. There's also a regular formation gathering around Westminster Bridge…"

"What is going on?" the Doctor says, stressing the last word in an annoyed manner. He flips the channel, and a weather map comes up, but instead of showing weather, it shows where ghosts are expected to show up for the night. The Doctor flips the channel again, to a talk show, where the guest is going on about how she fell in love with a ghost and married it.

"Okay, this is creepy," I mutter.

The Doctor flips the channel repeatedly, looking bewildered as every single program has something to do with the ghosts. There are even shows from different countries in other languages.

"It's all over the world," he says. "When did it all start?"

"About two months ago," Mum shrugs. "Woke up one morning and there were just ghosts, everywhere. The whole planet started panicking, but no sign of _you_ two, thank you very much…but then it sort of sank in. Took us a bit of time, but we realized we were lucky."

"Why the hell didn't you call and tell us about this? Angel, too!" I say. "What makes you think it's even granddad? It's not like they've got observable features, they're just blobs of nothing!"

"Hey! Don't talk about him like that! Besides, it feels like him! There's a smell, like those old cigarettes he used to smoke."

"I didn't smell anything, Mum, and I've got super senses. What about Angel? What does she think about all this?"

"L mean, she's a bit uneasy, but she doesn't mind. She never really said anything…but then she said she saw Iggy's ghost one day while she was at the park with Luke. She'd go visit him all the time…"

"Oh god," I say sadly. "Poor Angel…she really believes…she'll be so heartbroken…"

"It's a psychic link," the Doctor says. "You want your old dad to be alive, it's completely understandable, but you're wishing him into existence. The ghosts are using that to pull themselves in."

"You're just spoiling it!" Mum cries.

"I'm sorry, Mum, but it's true," I say, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "People don't just come back from the dead like that. That's not how the world works."

"If they aren't people, what are they? They look human!"

"Well, she does have a point there," I agree. "Even if they look all blurred, they're definitely human-shaped."

"Well, a footprint doesn't look like a boot, now does it?" the Doctor says, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, Rose. To the TARDIS!"

He walks briskly out the doors, not looking back to see if I've even followed.

"Mum, we're going to figure this out, alright?" I tell her. She nods uneasily.

"Be careful, love!"

"I will. I always am."

Once I catch up with the Doctor in the TARDIS, he's underneath the grating. A piece of it has been picked up and shoved to the side so he could get down under the console. I poke my head in.

"What are you doing?"

He turns around to come back up, holding a large device thing that probably will help us with the ghost problem. Again, I'm not good with science. I don't know any technical terms.

"Who ya gonna call?" he asks, grinning like an idiot and bopping his head. I laugh, barely able to formulate a response.

"Ghostbusters!"

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts!"

We should've been, though. I would have been terrified if I had known then.

**~DW~**

"When's the next shift?" the Doctor asks Mum, setting up three cone devices into a triangle shape.

"Quarter of. But don't go mucking about and causing trouble. What does that do?"

"Finds their point of origin."

"You don't suppose it's the Gelth, do you?" I ask.

"No. They were just coming through the little rift in Cardiff. This lot is popping up all over the planet."

I nod, having expected that answer.

"You always do this!" Mum says crossly. I look up at her to realize she's talking to the Doctor. "You reduce everything to science. Why can't it be real?" The Doctor ignores her, continuing his adjustments. "Think of it, though. All the people we've lost in the past, our families coming back home. Isn't that beautiful?"

The Doctor pauses, meeting her eye. "I think it's horrific."

"Come on, Rose, give me a hand here! Teach your alien boyfriend a thing or two about _emotion_."

"I…I'm sorry, Mum," I sigh. "But…when people die, they're meant to stay dead. There's no way this is actually the ghosts of our families coming back. This is something bigger than that."

"Come on, Rose, give me a hand," the Doctor says, unwinding a cord and going into the TARDIS. I follow him inside, watching him plug it into the console. He rambles quickly, not noticing when Mum comes in and closes the door behind her.

"Okay, Rose, as soon as this becomes activated, if that line goes into red, press that button there. If it doesn't stop, use your sonic. Setting 15B, hold it against the port, eight seconds and stop."

"Okay," I nod, pulling out my sonic screwdriver. I haven't gotten to use it much since the Doctor gave it to me, but it was still a nice gesture. Something tells me he doesn't get just anyone – if at all – a sonic screwdriver for themselves. It makes me feel special, important, even.

"If it goes into blue, activate the deep scan on the left. It's right…" he starts to gesture toward the right button or switch, but I stop him.

"Hold on! I think I know!" I say. He pauses, grinning at me. I point at a purple switch.

"Mm, close," he says, shaking his head. I point to a green button right next to it.

"Now you've just killed us," he says.

"Whoops," I say, giggling slightly. I point to an orange switch.

"There we go! Now what have we got, two minutes to go?" the Doctor asks cheerily, looking toward Mum.

"Less than that, actually," Mum says. "You two waste a lot of time with flirting."

"Mum," I groan. The Doctor turns slightly red, but picks up the ghost-device-thing that he got from under the console earlier.

"Right, I'll be outside."

A moment later, I can hear a faint buzzing noise through the open TARDIS doors.

"What's the line doing, Rose?"

"It's holding!" I yell back to him.

"God, you even look like him. When did you get that screwdriver thing?" Mum asks, making a face.

"He made it for me," I explain.

"You've changed so much…"

"For the better."

"I suppose…" Mum says hesitantly, not quite believing it.

"Mum, I used to be living on the street. Even once you took me in, I was working in a shop. Now I save the universe practically daily."

"I've worked in a shop. What's wrong with that?" she asks defensively.

"I didn't mean it like that!" I protest.

"I know what you meant! But what happens when I'm gone? When Angel grows up? Are you ever going to settle down, Rose? All you ever do is run away from a normal life, and you wonder why you don't have one!"

"The Doctor is never going to settle down, so I can't either. I'll just keep travelling."

"So what? You just keep changing then? And what happens in forty, fifty years time? There will be a strange, strange woman who I barely know wandering some market on a planet however many billion miles from Earth. She's not Rose Tyler, not anymore. You're just going to give up your identity completely, become a new person? Change yourself so much you barely know yourself?"

"I did it once, I can do it again," I snap.

"Rose!" the Doctor interrupts. "How's it going in there?"

"The scanner's working – it says 'delta one six'!"

My eyes trail off to the TARDIS monitor, which is displaying what's going on outside. A ghost appears right in the center of the Doctor's triangle contraption. The cones he laid out spark with electricity, encasing the ghost in a pyramid. The Doctor puts on a pair of 3D glasses and begins to adjust some knobs on his device. Suddenly, he stumbles backwards.

"That's more like it! Not so friendly now, are you?" he taunts. The ghost begins to shudder, the image flickering, and it finally disappears. The Doctor immediately begins gathering his equipment. He brings it inside quickly, looking like a child on Christmas morning.

"I said so! Those ghosts are being forced into existence, and I can track down the source! Allons-y!"

He pulls a lever, sending the TARDIS flying off, and we go flying back into the captain's chair on top of each other. With an awkward wave, he gets back up again and starts twiddling with knobs and buttons.

"I like that. 'Allons-y.' I should say 'allons-y' more often. 'Allons-y.' Watch out, Rose Tyler! Allons-y! And THEN it would be really brilliant if I met someone called Alonzo. Because then I could say 'allons-y Alonzo!' every time! You're staring at me."

"Mum's still on board," I inform him, smirking.

"If we end up on Mars, I'll kill you," she says, crossing her arms and swinging her legs back and forth. The Doctor looks horrified.

My attention is caught by movement on the TARDIS monitor. Soldiers with guns surround the TARDIS. Leave it to the Doctor to park us in some top secret government agency or something. The Doctor looks over my shoulder.

"Well, there goes the element of surprise. Stay in here, look after Jackie," he says, making his way toward the doors.

"You're mental if you think I'm staying here," I laugh, following him to the door. When I realize he's serious, the smile drops right off my face. I kick into super-speed, making it to the door before him and blocking his way.

"Doctor, they've got guns," I say warningly. He grabs me by the waist and pulls me gently out of the way.

"And I don't. Which makes me the better person, don't you think? They can shoot me dead, but the moral high ground is mine."

"Doctor, this is serious! They're human. The policy is shoot first, ask questions later. Believe me, I know, I've been there. Guilty as charged."

"Rose. I'll be fine, trust me," he says calmly, walking out. I sigh, going to watch on the TARDIS monitor. Mum comes to stand beside me.

All the soldiers lower their weapons as a woman in a white lab coat walks into the room. She has light brown hair and a pencil tucked behind her ear. I feel like I know her from somewhere, but I can't see her very well on the screen. I zoom in closer.

Then my heart skips a beat. My entire body tenses up.

"Rose? Are you alright, love? You know the Doctor's going to be okay, don't you?"

"I…"

Just then, the Doctor pokes his head into the TARDIS, motioning Mum over. I hardly notice, just staring at the woman on the screen. The woman who betrayed me, the woman who betrayed the whole Flock.

Dr. Martinez.

We aren't at the School, I would recognize the building, and the security force isn't nearly as organized as the one on the screen. There would also be more whitecoats around, and less lighting. It was always dark in the School. It's bright, bustling, and busy in the room. Too…peppy to be the School.

The TARDIS doors shut, snapping me out of my daze. I look toward the door, noticing my Mum has gone. The Doctor took my _Mum_ over me. What the hell?

After a minute or two, everyone on the screen exits the room, leaving it empty. A few moments later, the entire TARDIS tips sideways as it's carted away by more people in lab coats. Stupid lab coats. I've never liked people in lab coats.

I'm careful to keep my balance as I walk up to the TARDIS doors, opening it just a crack so I can see where I'm being taken. I catch a glimpse of various alien machinery and technology. Someone must have started an alien collection like Van Staten's museum.

The Doctor catches my eye, and I hear him complaining about the TARDIS being carted off. He nods ever so slightly at me, and I give him a thumbs up, closing the door. I turn around, locating the Doctor's coat, and go rummaging in the pockets for the psychic paper. Once I've got it, I ransack the wardrobe room for a white lab coat.

I step out of the TARDIS cautiously, noting that I'm in the corner of the busy floor. I scan the crowd carefully, trying to pick someone out to follow, and decide on a man walking purposefully out of the room. I go after him, acting like I'm not following him. No one even gives me a second glance.

The man rounds a corner, and I jog after him to see where he goes. There's a click and a beep, which I assume is a door unlocking and opening, and the thumping sound of it closing again. I peer around the corner, making sure no one is there, and walk up to the door. It needs something to scan through to get in, a security card, likely. I glance down at the psychic paper, crossing my fingers and closing my eyes. I scan it quickly without looking, opening my eyes and sighing with relief when the door beeps and the lock clicks open.

"Can I help you?" a young man asks, not looking up from his clipboard. I stare, hypnotized, at the giant sphere that occupies the other end of the room.

"I just…"

"Try not to look. It does that to everybody. What do you want?"

I snap out of it, looking back to the man and ignoring the tingly feeling I'm getting from the sphere. He still hasn't looked up, scribbling away something important on a clipboard. Or not important. For all I know, he's doing Sudoku.

"Sorry. They sent me from personnel, said some man had been taken prisoner. A Doctor of some kind? I'm just checking the lines of communication, did they tell you anything?"

"Can I see your authorization…?" the man starts, but he trails off and his eyes widen when he looks up at me. Something looks familiar about him, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

"_Max_?"

"Wait a minute…_Ari?"_I gasp as it hits me. "You are _dead_. I watched you die! You expired right there in my arms, that's not something I would just _forget_!"

"Max! You know better than anyone that Dad was a whitecoat! How many versions of me have you met in the past? Good ones, bad ones – they're all over the place. I can barely escape myself."

"You're another clone," I spit, crossing my arms and glaring at him. "More like no one _else_ can escape you."

"How do you think _I_ feel about that? I'll give you a hint – it's not easy, being a clone of myself. And I know that sometimes the bad clones would fight you, hunt you. I promise you, I never did. I love you, Max. You're my big sister, whether you like it or not. Just ask Ella, and Dr. Martinez – they trust me. You can too."

"What did you just say?" I ask, my voice calm, even though my mind is having a conniption fit.

"You heard me! Ella, Dr. Martinez! Dr. M is the head of Torchwood!"

"She's the _what?_ I don't even know what this place is! Tell me, Ari – why the hell should I trust you if you're working for _her?_"

"Because she's on your side! She always has been – the only reason she was ever a part of the School, pretending to be a whitecoat, was to help the experiments escape! She's your _mother_, Max."

"No!" I shout. Ari steps back, slightly surprised at my outburst. "Listen to me, and listen closely. The last I saw of Dr. M was at the School, and you know what? _She was working with Jeb. _I will _never_ trust that woman again, and I will sure as _hell_ never think of her as my mother again. _Ever._"

"Max, you are such an idiot sometimes! If she's going to infiltrate the School, which just happens to be a _top secret organization_, don't you think she might have to _act_ a little bit so they _think_ she's on their side? I know what went down – she explained everything to me. One of the whitecoats wanted to run more tests on you, and she had to do what he said in order for him not to be suspicious. Come on, Max. She l_oves_ you. She would never willingly hurt you!" Ari cries.

I try to think of something to say, but my head is spinning. So much is running through my mind right now and I have no idea what to think or believe.

"Why didn't she ever come looking for us? We were on our own for months, and she never came."

"They were tracking her, Max. They were watching her every move. The slightest wrong step and they would've killed her. What good would she have done to you then? Absolutely none. And it killed her every day to know that you were out there on your own, you know that?"

I bring a hand to my forehead, rubbing my temples. I sigh and look Ari in the eye.

"Tell me you aren't lying. Look me straight in the eye and tell me that you're telling the truth."

"I'm not lying to you Max," Ari says. "I promise." My eyes search his, looking for any sign of dishonesty, but none come up. He's being openly honest.

"What?" I hear a gasp behind me. I recognize the voice, turning around and meeting Ella's gaze.

"Oh my god…_Ella_…"

"Max!" she cries tearfully, hurtling toward me. She clasps her arms tightly around my waist, balling the fabric of the lab coat in her hands. I place my chin on the top of her head and rub her back comfortingly.

"I thought I was never going to see you again," she whispers.

"Can't get rid of me that easy," I joke, pulling back to look at her face. She's so much older than I remember her being. The baby fat she could never get rid of is finally gone, defining her features. Her golden-brown hair is pulled back into a high ponytail, and I brush some stray hairs behind her ear. She started wearing makeup, which is smearing now that tears are running down her cheeks. I wipe them away gently.

"Don't cry, Ells. Please don't cry."

"I'm sorry, I'm being stupid…" she mutters, pulling out of my grip and furiously wiping at her eyes with her sleeves.

"No you're not. I missed you, Ella. Really, I missed you."

"I missed you too, Max," she sighs, hugging me again. I smile, pulling back.

"But you've done great, haven't you? Nice job, here…what is it you do? What is Torchwood even all about, anyway?" I ask, turning to Ari. He stares at me.

"Alien investigation. We check out everything that falls to Earth from space, weapons gathered from various alien races that have invaded Earth…"

"Wait a minute," Ella interrupts. "Where is everyone?"

"What do you mean?'

"Where's the rest of the Flock?"

My face falls slightly. "It's a long story, Ells. I only know the whereabouts of Angel at the moment. Iggy…he's dead."

"Oh, God…" Ari chokes. "How?"

"I'll explain later. Right now…I've got a friend-"

"A friend?" Ella asks. She wriggles her eyebrows. "Or a _friend?_" I blush furiously, hitting her gently.

"There is nothing going on with me and the Doctor!"

"The Doctor? You're with him?"

"Yeah. We travel."

"I thought his companion was called Rose Tyler?" Ari asks, looking down at his clipboard.

"I might've changed my name," I say, and he nods.

"Do you want me to call you…?"

"Just…whatever. I don't even care. Call me what you want."

"Rose is a nice name, I like it," Ella says. "I've always liked that name."

"I know," I say quietly.

"Max it is then. Samuel, can you lock up the doors, please? No one comes in, no matter what kind of authority they've got," Ari tells a security guard. He just stands there with his arms crossed, one eyebrow raised as he stares at me with a smile. My eyes nearly pop out of my head.

"_Mickey?_"

"Hey there, sweetheart," he says, grinning. I smile, still slightly stunned, running up to him and throwing my arms around him.

"Oh my god, you're _real_!"

"Yeah, babe, I'm real," he laughs.

"You two know each other?"

"He's my best friend," I say, at the same time Mickey says, "She's my best friend."

"How the hell did you get here, Mick?" I ask, completely bewildered.

"We've been working on it for a while now. It's called dimension cannon," he says, holding out a giant yellow button on a chain.

"I see," Ari smirks. "Seriously, though…could you get those doors locked? What was it, Mickey?"

"You got it, captain," Mickey says, saluting. He goes over to the door controls and locks it.

"Wait a minute, does that mean you're from a different dimension?" Ella asks, finally wrapping herself around the conversation. Mickey nods.

"I was originally from this dimension, though. But we ended up there while we were traveling' with the Doctor, and I decided to stay. Jake is here, too. And Pete."

"Wait a minute, Pete Tyler?"

"Yeah," Mickey says, nodding. "He picked up the Torchwood business after the whole Cyberman thing. In honor of his Jackie and all. Speaking of which, I heard she's here?"

"Yep," Ari confirms. "She came through earlier with the Doctor, claiming to be Rose. But she's not apparently. And I should probably inform Dr. M about that…sorry, Max."

"whatever. Not like we weren't going to get caught anyway," I shrug. "But quick question, first. What the hell is that thing?" I point at the giant sphere in the room, that's making everyone uneasy when they look at it.

"Well, when the Doctor was in here earlier, he made it sound like it came from hell. Technically, it's called the Void, and it's the space between universes. Literally, nothing. No space, no time, nothing at all. There's something inside of it, but we don't know what."

"I love it when you talk a technical," Ella flirts, kissing Ari on the cheek. He turns bright red and my jaw falls open.

"No! No way! Not you two…really? Never saw that one coming!" I laugh.

"Back to the subject at hand," Ari says, brushing it off with a slight air of embarrassment as Ella laughs with me. "The Doctor wants to send it back."

"Good."

"Aren't you the slightest bit curious as to what's inside that thing?" Ella says, nudging me with her elbow.

"Well…maybe a little. But not enough to risk my life and everyone else's just for a bit of scientific discovery. That's a School principle."

"Well when you put it that way…" Ari mutters. "Alright, now no more putting things off. I'm going to call Dr. M."

Ari powers up his webcam and calls…Mum. But not Mum. But Mum. Okay, this is going to be a confusing one. Two Mums…never thought I was going to have _this _problem, that's for sure.

"Hey, Dr. M? I think you should see this. We've got a visitor, and, funnily enough, she arrived the same time as the Doctor. You're not going to believe this."

I watch her brow furrow, still hidden from the screen. Then Ari grabs me by the arm and pulls me into view of the camera. I wave awkwardly.

"Hi, Mum," I say quietly with a small smile.

Dr. M gasps, her hand coming to cover her mouth. Tears come to her eyes but refuse to spill over, and I try not to get emotional myself.

"Long time no see," I say.

"Oh, _Max_…" she breathes. "I'm so sorry; I've got so much explaining to do…"

"It's okay," I interrupt, holding up a hand. "Ari explained all the important stuff. I know."

"What's going on?" says the Doctor's voice off-screen. He pokes his head around the laptop so the camera can see him, his face magnified because he's too close to the screen.

"Back up a bit, will you?" I tell him, rolling my eyes. "Daft alien."

"Oh! Hello Rose! Wait…why did you call her Mum?" he says, backing up from the screen so I can see him normally.

"…Because. She's my Mum. The way Jeb is my father, ya know? But…she's actually my _Mum_. Not just my mother."

"Rose, I am the smartest person in this building, and I did not understand one _bit _of that sentence," he says.

"We've had this conversation, Doctor. Two ingredients to make a human baby…"

"…they've got to come from somewhere," he finishes. Then his eyes widen. "Oh! You're her _mother!_" He turns to Dr. M, gesturing wildly.

"She's who's Mum?" I hear…Mum ask off screen.

"She's Rose's Mum," the Doctor says, grinning. I smack my forehead with my palm.

"_I'm_ Rose's Mum," Mum says.

"Who the hell is Rose, then?" Dr. M asks. I wave.

"That'd be me. I kinda changed my name. "But it's okay…just call me whatever you want."

"Well, I did choose Maximum in the first place," she says, trying to hide the hurt behind her tone and failing.

"Sorry. I needed a change."

"I'm confused," the Doctor complains. "What's going on?"

"Yeah, an explanation would be nice," comes Mum's voice. "How the hell do you know this lady, Rose?"

"She's Dr. Martinez, I know her from the School, Mum. But she's on our side, like a spy on the inside," I tell her.

"Mum?" Dr. M repeats. I nod.

"She took me in off the streets. I've been living with her for almost six years now; she kind of just became Mum naturally."

"But…" Dr. M protests. "That's _me_. _I'm_ your mother."

"Listen, Mum…" I say apologetically. "I'm sorry. But maybe while you're both in the room, I should call you Dr. M, just to avoid confusion." She sighs.

"I suppose you're right."

"Okay, so let me get this straight," the Doctor says. "You came from her DNA and Jeb's DNA." I nod. "Right. Now who the hell is that kid?" He points at Ari.

"My half brother on Jeb's side," I tell him.

"Oh god, Rose, you're making my head hurt, and not a lot of people can do that."

"I'm just that great," I say. "Ella is here too." I pull her over to the camera and she waves.

"Hello!"

"Nice to meet you, this universe Ella!" the Doctor greets cheerfully.

"You'll never guess who else is here!"

"Bloody hell, Rose, there aren't many more people left, are there?"

"Mickey!"

"Did you say Mickey?" Mum cries, shoving the Doctor out of the way. I wave Mickey over to the screen. He beams at Mum.

"Hey, Jackie!"

"Mickey! Oh, I've missed you so much! It's so great to see you! How's the other universe been treating you, then?"

"Pretty good…"

"How the hell is this even _possible!" _the Doctor cries, staring over Mum's shoulder.

"Okay!" Dr. M says loudly. "I think we need to get together in a room and stop trying to talk over these tiny webcams!"

She cuts off abruptly and looks over the laptop screen at something we can't see.

"I thought I told you to stop the ghost shift!" she shouts to someone. "Max, stay where you are. I'll send someone down to get all four of you as soon as we've handled this."

"Be careful, Rose," the Doctor warns, following her to wherever she's headed. Mum runs out after him, not wanting to be left behind on her own.

Suddenly, the room starts shuddering.

"Bloody hell!" I shout over the noise. "Does this happen every ghost shift?" I turn to Ari, whose eyes are wide.

"No!" he cries. "It's the sphere! It's active! Dr. M!" He rushes over to the laptop, typing furiously. Ella, Mickey and I stare at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Dr. M! Help! We've got a serious problem down here! The sphere – the readings are off the charts! It's got weight, mass, and electromagnetic field! It exists!"

"Ari, I am 99% sure that the ceiling is going to cave in on us or something. We need to get out of here! Mum's not there, she's dealing with something upstairs, and you'll never get to tell her anything if you get killed by a falling chunk of ceiling!" I shout.

"We can't get out anyway! Automatic quarantine!"

"Who the hell thought of that?"

"It's alright, Rose, we've beat them before, we can do it again," Mickey says confidently, gripping my elbow to hold both of us steady. I stare at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"That's why I'm here. The fight goes on."

"Fight against what?" I sputter, still confused. Then my eyes widen as I realize. Mickey stayed behind in the parallel world with Jake to help fight Cybermen.

"Oh, _shit_!" I swear, snapping my gaze over to the shaking sphere. "There's _Cybermen_ in that thing? And we can't get out of here? Just great. That is lovely, that is."

A loud crashing sound emits from the sphere, causing all of us to jump.

"Do you two know what's going on?" Ella cries.

"Cybermen!" Mickey explains loudly. "We were this close to beating them, and all of a sudden they had just vanished. They found a way through to this world – but so did we."

"The Doctor said that was impossible," I say. Mickey shakes his head.

"Not the first time he's been wrong, is it?"

"So…how many Cybermen do you think are in that thing?" Ari asks, joining our conversation.

"We don't know. It could be anything. Cyber Leader, Cyber King, Emperor of the Cybermen…whatever it is, it's dead meat," Mickey grins. I smile at him.

"It's good to see you, Mick," I tell him, squeezing his hand.

"It's good to see you too, babe."

Then all at once, the shaking stops. The room is eerily silent and we stare at the sphere. Even cracks show up in the sphere as it opens up, panels sliding apart. Light spills out of it, making the room too bright, and I wish I had a pair of sunglasses. I shield my eyes, squinting, trying to make out a figure of some sort.

"I've got this," Mickey says. I turn to him, watching him take out a weapon that he must have hidden behind a table.

"What the hell is that?" Ari asks, taking a step back from the large gun. Mickey reaches under the table again and pulls out another gun, tossing it to me. I catch it, adjusting my grip and cocking the gun, watching Mickey do the same.

"This will blast them to hell," Mickey says with a grin on his face.

I squint into the light again, trying to see what's inside. When I finally make out a figure, my heart nearly stops.

"Mickey, those aren't Cybermen…"

"I know," he says, puzzled. "What are they?"

"Daleks."

Four Daleks glide their way out of the sphere, hovering in the air right before us. I hold my gun higher, anger coursing through my veins.

"Ari, Ella…you wanted to know what killed Iggy," I say coldly. Ella gasps, her hands coming up to cover her mouth. Ari stares at the Daleks with an icy gaze.

"LO-CA-TION: EARTH," says one of the Daleks. "LIFE FORMS DE-TECT-ED. EX-TER-MI-NATE!" I hold my gun higher, aiming carefully and putting my finger on the trigger.

"EX-TER-MI-NATE! EX-TER-MI-NATE!"


	35. Again

**A/N: Here we go! Enjoy!**

**~DW~**

___ Four Daleks glide their way out of the sphere, hovering in the air right before us. I hold my gun higher, anger coursing through my veins._

_ "Ari, Ella…you wanted to know what killed Iggy," I say coldly. Ella gasps, her hands coming up to cover her mouth. Ari stares at the Daleks with an icy gaze._

_ "LO-CA-TION: EARTH," says one of the Daleks. "LIFE FORMS DE-TECT-ED. EX-TER-MI-NATE!" I hold my gun higher, aiming carefully and putting my finger on the trigger._

_ "EX-TER-MI-NATE! EX-TER-MI-NATE!"_

**~DW~**

But as I'm ready to pull the trigger, I hear the Doctor's voice in my head.

_"They can shoot me dead, but the moral high ground is mine!"_

The least I can do is try. For him.

"Daleks!" I shout, not wavering the gun. I hold it firmly in place, ready to shoot if I need to. The strap digs into my back uncomfortably.

"You're called Daleks," I say, not as loud as before, but my tone still commanding. They watch me, I'm sure carefully and curiously, but none of that could be betrayed through any expression. They've fallen silent, not responding to me.

"I know your name," I taunt, trying to sound scary. What would make the Daleks fearful, or at least hesitant to kill us?

_They would want information,_ I think.

"Think about that. How can I know your name? A human, who knows about Daleks and the Time War. You want to know how that's possible, I'm sure of it. And if you'll ever find out, you'll keep us alive. That's all I'm asking. Me and my friends."

"Yeah, Daleks," Mickey says, catching on. "Time War. Me too."

"And us," Ari says, crossing his arms. Ella stares them down blankly. I feel a rush of pride for both of them. They've come so far…they're being so brave.

"YOU WILL BE NE-CESS-AR-Y," Dalek #1 says. He turns to another. "RE-PORT. WHAT IS THE STA-TUS OF THE GEN-ES-IS ARK?"

"STA-TUS HI-BER-NA-TION," says Dalek #2.

"COM-MENCE A-WAK-EN-ING."

"THE GEN-ES-IS ARK MUST BE PRO-TECT-ED A-BOVE ALL ELSE," chimes in Dalek #3.

My eyes fall on a piece of machinery that hadn't been in the room before. It must have come with the Daleks.

"I don't even want to know what the hell that thing does," I mutter to Mickey.

"I thought you said all the Daleks were dead," he says, glancing at me for a millisecond before his eyes flick back over to watch the Daleks. I follow his example, tensing up as Dalek #1 attaches his plunger arm to the sphere.

"Never mind that. What the hell is a Genesis Ark?"

Dalek #1 turns to us.

"WHICH OF YOU IS THE LEAST IM-POR-TANT?"

"What?" Ella says, taken aback.

"WHICH OF YOU IS THE LEAST IM-POR-TANT?"

"We don't work like that, dude," I say.

"DES-IG-NATE THE LEAST IM-POR-TANT!"

"Me!" Ari shouts. The room falls silent.

"No," I say quickly. "He's lying. It's me."

"No, I am," Ari insists. "What do you need with me?"

"No! Ari!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Ella starting to cry. She starts to reach out for Ari, but then thinks better of it. He glances back at her.

_I'm sorry_, he mouths. _I love you._

Oh my god. No…he can't leave Ella like that, not when they're together. I close my eyes.

_Please don't kill him. Anything but kill him. He can't die, not now. I've seen him die too many times already. Don't leave Ella alone. She doesn't deserve any of this. I'll do anything, but don't kill him. _

"I represent the Torchwood Institute," Ari says, keeping his calm. "Anything you need, come through me. Leave these three alone."

"YOU WILL KNEEL," orders Dalek#1.

"What for?"

"KNEEL," the Dalek repeats, more forcefully. Ari gets down on his knees, never taking his eyes off the Dalek.

"THE DAL-EKS NEED IN-FOR-MA-TION A-BOUT CUR-RENT EARTH HIS-TOR-Y."

"Well, I can't tell you much, I'm not exactly good at keeping up with the times…I read the newspaper, that's about it…"

"SPEECH WILL NOT BE NE-CESS-AR-Y," says Dalek #2. "WE WILL EX-TRACT BRAIN-WAVES."

They position their plungers around his head, and I can see the fear flickering in my brother's eyes. I let the gun go, and it hangs loosely from the strap around my shoulders. I grab Ella's arm so she doesn't run toward him.

Awful chills run through me at the sound of Ari's agonized screaming. I hold tight to Ella, not even looking at her as she scratches and hits at me. I can't tear my eyes away from Ari. I stare on blankly, not betraying any of my feelings on my face. I can't get emotional, not now, not when Ella and Mickey need me. There's not much I can do for Ari.

When the screams finally stop, he slumps to the floor. The Daleks rise up into the air again and I release Ella. She runs to Ari's body, dropping onto her knees next to him as she checks his pulse.

"Oh thank god," she gasps with relief, choking on tears. I close my eyes.

_Thank you. Thank you._

If he had been just a normal human, he probably would have had his skull crushed. Superior biology…I almost want to thank Jeb. I nearly smile at the irony.

_Ari and his thick head have done good for once._

"HIS MIND SPOKE OF A SE-COND SPE-CIES IN-VAD-ING EARTH IN-FECT-ED BY THE SUP-ER-STI-TION OF GHOSTS," says Dalek #1. "DA-LEK THAY, IN-VES-TI-GATE OUT-SIDE."

Dalek Thay? I didn't know Daleks had names…they don't, do they? Not even the Emperor had a name, only the title. What's so special about these four?

"I O-BEY," says Dalek Thay. He glides over to the door, using his plunger to open the coded lock. The door slides open and he leaves the room. It falls closed behind him.

"ES-TAB-LISH VIS-U-AL CON-TACT," orders Dalek #1. A large holographic projection pops up, showing Dalek Thay's line of vision. He turns a corner, bringing two Cybermen into view. I suppress the urge to groan.

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit. Daleks _and_ Cybermen. Shit," I mutter.

"I-DEN-TI-FY YOUR-SELVES," Dalek Thay orders.

"You will identify first," says one of the Cybermen.

"STATE YOU I-DEN-TI-TY."

You will identify first."

"I-DEN-TI-FY!"

"It's like Stephen Hawkins meets the Speaking Clock," Mickey murmurs. I snort quietly.

"We'll be here all day, honestly."

"That is illogical, you will modify," the Cyberman continues.

"DA-LEKS DO NOT TAKE OR-DERS."

I almost laugh out loud. I thought Daleks were supposed to be smart?

"You have identified as Daleks."

"OUT-LINE RE-SEM-BLES THE _IN-FER-IOR_ SPE-CIES KNOWN AS CY-BER-MEN."

I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. I take it out carefully, trying not to draw attention to myself. It's Mum's number. She must be worried sick. I press the accept call button, but can't talk. At least she'll know I'm alive. I put it on speaker so the Doctor can hear the Daleks talking, because I'm sure he's there too.

"WE MUST PRO-TECT THE GEN-ES-IS ARK," says Dalek #2.

"Our species are similar, though your design is inelegant," the Cyberman says. Mickey and I exchange looks, rolling our eyes. Honestly, it's like two popular girls going at each other over who has the best brand name clothing.

"DA-LEKS HAVE NO CON-CEPT OF EL-EG-ANCE," Dalek Thay says.

"This is obvious." _Oh. Burn._ "But consider – our technologies are compatible. Cybermen plus Daleks. Together, we could upgrade the universe."

My eyes widen and I look at Mickey. His expression mirrors my own. We both turn back to the conversation with the same thing in mind.

_That would _not_ be good._

"YOU PRO-POSE AN AL-LI-ANCE?"

"This is correct."

"RE-QUEST DE-NIED."

I practically sigh with relief. Then a new worry settles over me. A war between Daleks and Cybermen, with human beings caught in between? That may just be even worse.

The Cybermen thrust their arms out toward Dalek Thay.

"Hostile elements must be deleted." They shoot at Dalek Thay, but their rays simply bounce off of him.

"EX-TER-MI-NATE!" Dalek Thay shouts. Two beams rush out at the Cybermen, and they collapse on the floor.

The visual connection with Dalek Thay goes all static, and is replaced by the image of a Cyberman.

"Daleks, be warned: you have declared war upon the Cybermen."

"THIS IS NOT WAR. THIS IS PEST CON-TROL."

_Damn,_ part of me thinks. _I would hate to be on the receiving end of those insults._

"We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?"

"FOUR."

"You would destroy the Cybermen with _four _Daleks?"

"WE WOULD DE-STROY THE CY-BER-MEN WITH _ONE_ DA-LEK. YOU ARE SU-PER-IOR IN ON-LY ONE RE-SPECT."

"What is that?"

"YOU ARE BET-TER AT DY-ING."

"Burnnn," Mickey snickers next to me quietly. I jab my elbow into his side, looking over to Ella and Ari. She's stopped crying now, murmuring softly to him. He looks like he's still unconscious.

The Daleks cut off the visual with the Cybermen and I head over to Ari and Ella, unnoticed. Mickey still stands with his gun in the air, pointed at them, just in case.

Ari is breathing deeply, clearly alive, but knocked out cold. His pulse could be steadier, but at least it's there. He should be fine.

"He's going to be okay, Ells. It's alright," I reassure her, pulling her into my arms and stroking her hair softly.

"Thank you Max," she breathes, squeezing me tightly.

"WAIT," commands Dalek #2. "RE-WIND IM-AGE BY NINE RELLS. I-DEN-TI-FY GRID SE-VEN GAM-MA FRAME."

The image pops back up, and zooms into a far corner. I can make out a blurry image of the Doctor behind the Cybermen. My heart picks up slightly. Is he okay? Did they hurt him? What about Mum and Dr. M?

"THIS MALE RE-GIS-TERS AS AN EN-E-MY," Dalek #2 says. Dalek #1 turns his eyestalk at me.

"THE FE-MALE'S HEART RATE HAS IN-CREASED."

"Tell me about it," Mickey says, rolling his eyes. I shoot him a glare.

"I-DEN-TI-FY HIM," the Dalek commands.

"Alright then," I shrug. "If you really want to know…that's the Doctor."

All of them roll back sharply, as if I've burned them with something. I smile, laughing slightly.

"Five million Cybermen, easy. But one Doctor? Now you're scared."

**~DW~  
**Not long later, Dalek Thay rolls his way back into the room.

"CY-BER THREAT I-REL-LE-VANT. CON-CEN-TRATE ON THE GEN-ES-IS ARK."

"Why are we being kept alive, Max?" Ella asks softly.

"I think they need me for something," I tell her.

"No," she says sharply. I look at her, surprised. "They're not using you for something too. I'm sick and tired of this. Everyone I love, they're constantly being used, always being hurt. You can't let them hurt you, Max. You don't deserve any of it."

_No. Don't get emotional now._ I think to myself.

"Thank you, Ella," I say thickly, deciding not to argue. "For caring. But even if something did happen to me – the Doctor would get me out of it. He always saves me. He always saves everyone. I trust him with my life – I trust him with everything."

"Wow," she says. "You must really love him, Max." I glance up at her from the nail polish I had been picking at, looking her in the eye and hesitating.

"I do, Ella. I really, really do. With everything I have," I say hoarsely. I clear my throat. "But don't tell him I said that."

"Are you telling me you're not a couple?" she asks disbelievingly. "I could've sworn, the way he was looking at you…even over the webcam, Max. For less than a minute. It's so obvious. He loves you too."

I look away, at the wall, trying to find something to stare at. Anything that can help me avoid Ella's gaze.

"You should tell him, Max. You and Fang went on for so long pretending you didn't feel that way about each other. Things might have ended differently is you had both stopped being stupid about it earlier. Don't let this slip away from you too," she advises. I look at her, meeting her gaze again. "You're happier than I've ever seen you, Max. I want you to stay that way." I nod.

"I wish I could, Ella. But things don't always work like that."

"Not if you don't do something about it."

"It's not that easy. He's over nine hundred years old. I'm going to live til what, maybe ninety? What happens then? I just grow old, watching him stay the same over the years. Then I die and he's left on his own?"

"I'm sure he would rather have the memories when you're gone instead of regretting the things that could have been."

I sigh, knowing she's right. "When did you get so smart?"

"I've always been smart," Ella says with a cheeky grin. "You're just finally listening to me." I offer her a smile.

"Thanks Ella," I say, placing a hand on her shoulder. Then I stand up, turning around and walking over to Mickey. He's given up on aiming at the Daleks, opting to just watch me talk to Ella from a distance.

"Stalking me, Smith?" I ask cheekily, nudging him playfully with my elbow. He rolls his eyes, smiling slightly.

"No. Why would I do that, Tyler?" he jokes. "Not much to see, is there?"

I put on my best mock offended expression. "I can't believe you think that!" He lets out quiet laughter, and I join him, but it dies quickly. Our situation allows for limited humor.

"I could leave," he says suddenly I raise my eyebrows slightly, urging him to continue. "I could transport out of here." He holds out his yellow dimension cannon. "But it only carries one, and I'm not leaving you here."

"You'd really follow me anywhere, wouldn't you?" I murmur, completely awed. "Why? Why do you trust me so much?"

"I don't know," he admits, sighing. "I just do. We've been through a lot, the both of us. You've been through even more with them." He nods over to Ella, sitting silently next to Ari as she waits for him to wake up. "If you're one thing, Rose, you're loyal. I know you'll stand by me, even if it kills you. And that's dangerous. You're the bravest person I know."

"Stop it, Mick…" I mutter.

"Really, though…"

"I said stop!" I snap suddenly. He draws back, leaning away from my harsh tone. I sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that. I just…I hate it when people tell me things like that. I don't deserve any of it…"

"Okay, Rose, it's your turn to stop," he says sharply. "Why do you think so lowly of yourself? Why? How can you see yourself as an undeserving freak when there are so many people who love you? I love you. Jackie loves you. Angel loves you, Total loves you, Ella and Ari love you. Captain Cheese loved you. Iggy loved you. _The Doctor loves you_."

"But _why_?"

"Because you're you! You're brave, you're loyal. Somehow, you're smart and clueless at the same time. You're strong, and so is your love. You care about everyone you meet, Rose, even just a little bit, and you're willing to do _anything_ to protect the people you love. The real question here is why _not._"

I crack a tiny smile, touched. Mickey thinks so highly of me…maybe I'm not that bad after all. I'm not perfect, but who is?

"You're not so bad yourself," I tell him. "You're brave too. It's not easy, the things I do, and even right now you're standing by me. And I appreciate you endlessly." I sigh, shaking my head. "Look at me; I'm just an open book today, aren't I? Emotional revelations all around."

"Yeah, and one of them better be to the Doctor later," Mickey says, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, yeah. We need to figure out what is going to get us the hell out of here, first," I point out.

"Well, I can't see what the Daleks could possibly want with me. I'm nothing to them. You're the one who knows all about time and space travel and stuff."

"You never know, you could be important for something," I say. "I'd bet anything there's something inside that Ark thing. And it's waking up. I never told you about the first time I saw a Dalek. It was broken – it thought it was the last one alive, it was dying. I touched it. I brought it back to life."

"Whoops."

"Yeah, whoops. Anyway, the Doctor said when you travel in the TARDIS, through time and all that; you kind of…soak up this background radiation. It's totally harmless, it's just…there. But in the Time War, the Daleks evolved to use it as a power supply. That's how it happened."

"I love it when you talk all technical," Mickey interrupts, winking. I roll my eyes at him.

"Focus! And you think _Jack _is bad…bloody hell. If the Daleks have something in that thing that needs waking up…"

"They need you," Mickey finishes. I nod.

"You've travelled in time too," I remind him. "You'd work just as well as I would."

"Why would they build something they can't open themselves?" Mickey asks.

"THE TECH-NO-LO-GY IS STO-LEN. THE ARK IS NOT OF DA-LEK DE-SIGN," interjects Dalek #1 suddenly. I jump, startled, not realizing they had been listening.

"Then who built it?" I ask. "It was the Time Lords, wasn't it?"

"YES. THIS IS ALL THAT SUR-VIVES OF THEIR HOME WORLD."

"What's inside?" I ask, watching the Daleks gather around the Ark.

"THE FU-TURE."

**~DW~**

"THE FI-NAL STAGE OF A-WAK-EN-ING," Dalek #4 announces.

"YOUR HAND-PRINT WILL O-PEN THE ARK," Dalek #1 says.

I snort. "Well tough. That's not happening."

"O-BEY OR THE FE-MALE WILL DIE," Dalek #1 orders, twisting to aim his death ray at Ella. I immediately step toward the Ark.

"Okay, alright. Don't hurt her."

"No, Max!"

"PLACE YOUR HAND U-PON THE CAS-KET."

"All right!" I shout. I turn toward the Ark, approaching it slowly. "You're gonna kill us anyway, what the hell?" I keep talking, rambling to buy time, just like the Doctor does.

"You escaped the Time War, though. Don't you want to know what happened? What happened to the Emperor?"

"THE EM-PER-OR SUR-VIVED."

"Til he met me," I retort. "Because if these are gonna be my last words, you're gonna listen. I met the Emperor. I took the Time Vortex and I poured it into his head and turned him into dust. Do you hear me? The God of all Daleks, and I _destroyed _him!"

The Dalek's headlights start flashing furiously.

"YOU WILL BE EX-TER-MI-NAT-ED!"

"Oh, now, hold on. Wait a minute!"

I nearly sigh with relief at the sound of the Doctor's voice coming from the doorway. The Daleks swerve around to look at him, and I beam in his direction, noticing that he has on a pair of paper 3D glasses. He grins at me, looking a bit ridiculous. Out of the corner of my eye I take in Ella's skeptical expression.

"A-LERT. A-LERT. YOU ARE THE DOC-TOR."

"SEN-SORS RE-PORT THAT HE IS UN-ARMED."

"That's me. Always!"

"THEN YOU ARE POW-ER-LESS."

"Not me," he says, shaking his head as he saunters through the room toward me. "Never." He comes to stand next to me. "How are you?"

"Oh, same old. You know."

"Good! And Mickity-McMickey!" he cries with delight. Mickey comes closer, fist-bumping the Doctor. "Nice to see ya!"

"You too, boss."

"And you!" the Doctor says excitedly, turning to Ella. "I've met you before, but you haven't met me. Well, technically it was a parallel version of you. And is that your brother on the floor, Rose?"

"He's unconscious," Ella says.

"Oh, bit unfortunate, that. He should be up and about in no time, though. I'm the Doctor, by the way. Ella, right?"

"Yeah," she says, shaking the Doctor's hand awkwardly. She shoots me a look as if to say _"Of all people, you fell in love with this guy? He seems a bit…strange."_

"SO-CIAL IN-TER-AC-TION WILL CEASE," says Dalek #2.

"HOW DID YOU SUR-VIVE THE TIME WAR?" asks Dalek #1.

"By fighting," the Doctor replies, his happy façade suddenly gone. "On the front line. I was there at the fall of Arcadia. Someday I might even come to terms with that. But you lot, you ran away!"

"WE HAD TO SUR-VIVE."

"The last four Daleks in existence. What's so special about you?"

"Doctor, they've got names," I tell him, figuring it might be important. "Daleks don't have names."

"I AM DA-LEK THAY."

"DA-LEK SEK."

"DA-LEK JAST."

"DA-LEK CAAN."

_Well, _I think. _Nice to finally be able to put a name to the face…or armor._

"That's it!" the Doctor says as he figures it out. "You lot are the Cult of Skaro. I thought you were just a legend."

"Who are they?" I ask.

"A secret order," the Doctor says, not looking at me. He walks around the Daleks casually, as if he's having a simple conversation with them about the weather. "Above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their job was to be creative, imaginative. Think like the enemy thinks; use their own strategies against them. Even dared to have names." He looks at them disgustedly. "All to find new ways of killing."

"They said that was your technology," Mickey says. "Time Lords, yeah? What is it?"

"No idea. Never seen it in my life," the Doctor shrugs.

"How do you not know?" Ella asks.

"Both sides had secrets," the Doctor says. He turns to the Daleks. "Well, what is it? What have you done now?"

"TIME LORD SCI-ENCE WILL RE-STORE DA-LEK SU-PRE-MA-CY."

"What does that mean? What sort of Time Lord Science?"

"They said one touch from a time traveler will wake it up," I say.

"Ah," the Doctor says nodding. "Technology that uses the one thing Daleks can't do. Touch. Sealed inside your metal armor, not feeling anything for your entire lives. Birth to death, emotionless. Unloved, and unable to love. Completely alone. Explains your voice. No wonder you scream."

"THE DOC-TOR WILL O-PEN THE ARK."

The Doctor laughs. "The Doctor will not."

"YOU HAVE NO WAY OF RE-SIS-TING."

"Well, you've got me there," the Doctor shrugs. He reaches into his coat pocket. "But there's always this." He pulls out his sonic screwdriver.

"A SO-NIC PROBE."

"That's screwdriver," the Doctor corrects.

"IT IS HARM-LESS."

"Not quite the word I would use to describe it. You should've seen the incident…he was missing eyebrows for a week," I smirk.

"Yes, well…other than that, it's not really dangerous. Doesn't hurt, doesn't maim…" the Doctor protests, but I raise an eyebrow. "…_most_ of the time. But I'll tell you what – it's _very_ good at opening doors."

He presses the button, the little blue end lighting up, and the doors to the room crash open. I recognize Jake and what must be his crew entering the room, guns at the ready, and they fire at the Daleks. Cybermen are right at their side, which takes me by surprise.

"Down!" the Doctor shouts above the cries of "DELETE" and "EXTERMINATE". I watch him and Ella duck to the floor, but join Mickey in firing instead of joining them. I've got a gun on me – may as well use it.

"Rose!" the Doctor yells. "Get out!"

"Max! Help!" I hear Ella scream. She's struggling with the weight of Ari's unconscious form.

"Go, Ella!" I shout, ducking out of the way of a death beam. "I've got him!"

I dodge bullets and death rays, running to Ari. I pick him up and sling him over my shoulder. When I stand up, the Doctor is right next to me, grabbing me by the waist and dragging me out of the way of a dead Cyberman.

"Come on!"

I run after him, careful of the line of fire, out into the corridor. He turns one way and I follow him, before realizing Mickey is still in there and turning back. Mum would kill me if he died before she saw him.

"Mickey!" I yell, grabbing his attention. "Come on!" I readjust Ari's dead weight on my shoulder.

"Rose!" the Doctor calls urgently, several feet away down the corridor.

"I'm coming! Come on, Mick!" I shout, looking back at him.

He loses his balance, accidentally leaning on the Genesis Ark to stay standing. He winces, looking at his hand before racing out of the room after me. Jake and his men follow after, and I notice Pete in the crowd for the first time.

"I didn't mean to!" he says. "I just fell…"

"If you hadn't done that, they would have opened it by force," the Doctor says. "You've done us all a favor! Now come on! We've wasted enough time!"

**~DW~**

After a few floors of stairs, my shoulder starts to get sore. Really, Ari must be eating rocks or something, because it is absolutely ridiculous. My breath starts to come shorter and I start sweating, my hair in my eyes annoying me. I flip it out of the way, only to have it fall back into place again. I growl with frustration.

The Doctor finally takes a door off the stairs and I sigh with relief. No more stairs. We're just rounding a corner when I hear my mum's voice.

"No! But you can't! Please!"

Someone in front of me fires two shots at the Cybermen in front of us, and they fall to the ground, dead. I realize it's Pete after a moment. Mum squints through the smoke, and when she makes out his face, her eyes widen and her jaw drops.

"That's not fair," she says, her voice cracking. "I said there are ghosts, but why does it have to be him?"

"I'm not a ghost, Jacks," Pete says, dropping the gun.

"He's from a different universe, Mum," I say.

"You see, Jackie," the Doctor cuts in, "every choice you make…"

"You can shut it," Mum says shortly, glaring at him. He steps back, pressing his lips into a thin line. I smirk.

Mum looks back to Pete, staring him up and down. "You look old," she finally says after a moment.

"You don't," Pete replies.

"How can you be standing there?"

"Just got lucky. Lived my life. You were left on your own. Didn't marry again…or…?"

"There was never anyone else," Mum says, shaking her head. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Mickey rolling his eyes and the Doctor smirking. I kick Mickey in the shin because he's closest.

"Twenty years, though," Mum continues. "I never left the flat. Did nothing with myself…"

"You took her in," Pete says, nodding toward me. "You raised Rose Tyler. Not bad, I would say."

"Yeah," Mum whispers.

"You know, it worked in my world. All those daft plans. I'm rich."

Wow, Pete really was married to Mum once. He knows exactly what she's after. I smirk.

"I don't care about that," Mum says, shaking her head. Then she pauses. "How rich?"

"Very."

"I don't care about that," Mum repeats. She pauses again. "How very?" I roll my eyes, and Pete laughs.

"The things is, Jacks…you're not my wife. You're just not. I mean…we both…" he stumbles over his words, looking at her hesitantly. Mum nods sadly, the hope that had been in her eyes vanishing. Pete sighs. "Oh, come here."

Mum looks up, joy in her teary eyes, and she runs to meet him, jumping into his arms. My eyes flick away from them, and I wonder for a brief moment what it would be like if I ever saw Fang again. Ella glances at me worriedly. I shake my head, to let her know she shouldn't worry.

But still, it almost hurts to think of what could happen. I always pride myself on being independent – I try to tell myself I don't need anyone. I don't, in some ways. I can survive by myself, defend myself, and stand up for myself. However, that doesn't mean I _like_ doing it. It's not easy, living on your own, fighting on your own. I need other people to make me _happy_. For the first time, I realize that's why I love the Doctor so much. He's made me happier than anyone I've ever known.

Mum was so lucky to have Pete for that, and now she's got him again. And I'll admit it – I kind of wish it was me. _I_ want someone who's going to love me like he loves her. No – I want _the Doctor_ to love me like he loves her. I glance at him, realizing he's staring at me. I look away quickly, readjusting Ari's weight again to my other shoulder.

"Better put him somewhere safe, shouldn't we?" the Doctor murmurs. I jump, not having noticed him coming closer. I nod, clearing my throat.

"Yeah. That's a good idea. Go on. We're all following you."

**~DW~ **

The Doctor leads us to a set of double doors a few corridors down, and then holds up a hand to stop us. He looks through the small glass windows in the door. From the other side come cries of Daleks and Cybermen, and the sound of gunfire from Torchwood representatives.

"Don't tell me you're seriously going in there," I say.

"I have to!" he says. "We need to find out what's going on. See if you can wake your brother." He slips through the door quietly.

"Keep an eye on him," I tell Pete. He nods, poking his head through the door. I set Ari gently on the ground.

"What should we do?" Ella asks, worry in her voice.

"Chill out, Ella, he's going to be fine," I assure her. "I don't think there's a setting on the sonic for this, at least not one that I remember, so we're gonna go with the good old-fashioned way."

I prop Ari up on the wall, grabbing his lab coat to steady him, and promptly smack him across the face.

"Max!"

"Ouch," Ari groans. "My head."

"Sorry, needed to wake you up," I apologize. "Be glad you're so thick, if it was anyone else's head, it would have caved in."

"Shut up."

"Good, you're back to normal," I smile, reaching out a hand to help him up. He sways a bit on his feet, but I hold onto his arm to keep him balanced.

"The Doctor will probably have something for the dizziness when he gets back," I say.

"Where are we?" Ari asks, confused. "We were in the room with the sphere and the Daleks and the Genesis Ark…"

"And now we aren't," Ella says. Ari turns to look at her, seeming slightly surprised by the sound of her voice, as if he's just noticed she's there. Then he glances around at all the other people in the room.

"Right, introductions. That's Jake; he came from the parallel universe with Mickey. That's Mum. That's Pete – he died in this universe, but he came from the other one. Jake, Mum, Pete, this is Ari and Ella. Ari is my brother, Ella is my sister."

"Your life is too confusing for your own good," Mickey laughs, shaking his head.

"Tell me about it."

"Hi," Mum says. Ella smiles at her.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Tyler." She holds out a hand to shake.

"Oh, don't give me that! Call me Jackie!" Mum grins, pulling her in for a hug. Ella looks surprised, but can't help but smile. Mum goes after Ari next, who is a bit awkward at first, but he adjusts to Mum's friendly personality quickly. I know neither of them can be quick to trust people – they've been through too much. However, they know since I trust Mum, then she's got to be okay.

"Top floor, now," the Doctor says, slipping back through the doors carefully. He's got two giant clamps in his hands. He looks at Ari. "Oh, good, you're awake."

"Yeah. Bit woozy."

"Here, chew this," the Doctor offers, pulling out a stick of gum from one of his pockets. "It's from the planet…"

"Not important right now. Top floor, you said?" I interrupt. Ari takes the gum from the Doctor, who nods.

"Yeah. Follow me!"

**~DW~**

The Doctor is the first one out of the lift, dumping the giant clamps on a desk and rushing to the window. The rest of us step out of the lift and go after him, lining up at the glass. The Genesis Ark is hovering in the air, spinning in circles. I notice with horror that Daleks come zooming out of it.

"Time Lord Science. Bigger on the inside," the Doctor realizes.

"Are you saying Time Lords put Daleks in there? What for?" Mickey asks incredulously.

"It's a prison ship," the Doctor says.

"How many Daleks are we talking?" I ask calmly.

"Millions."

"Well, shit," I mumble. Then my eyes widen. "Oh my god, Angel!"

I pull out my phone, dialing Sarah Jane faster than I ever have in my life. I sigh with frustration, tapping my foot as it rings.

"Sarah Jane!" I cry once she finally picks up the phone.

"Rose! There's Daleks, on Earth. Are you here? Is the Doctor? Where are you?"

"We're in London, we're at Canary Wharf, and we're working things out. Hide, in the basement, or somewhere else safe. Whatever you do, don't go outside. Take Luke, Total, K9, and Angel, go _anywhere_ as long as they can't find you."

"I will."

I hear Angel's voice crying for me in the background.

"Tell them that I love them. I'll see you really soon, alright? I'm sorry; I've got to go…" I trail off. "Thank you, Sarah Jane. For everything."

"For goodness' sake, Rose, stay safe. Tell the Doctor the same. If he gets you or himself hurt, I will personally slap him into his next regeneration."

"I'll tell him. You're brilliant."

"And so are you. Go on and save the world." She hangs up.

"Is Angel okay?" Mum asks frantically.

"She's fine. Sarah Jane is taking them somewhere safe," I assure her.

We all turn around at the sound of the elevator dinging behind us. Dr. M comes out of the lift, freezing when she sees me.

"Max…"

I don't say anything, just walk up to her and throw my arms around her. She hugs me tightly.

"Oh, Max, I'm so sorry…"

"Stop it. Stop it right now."

"But really…"

"No. Later, okay? Right now we've got a couple million Daleks to deal with," I say, pulling away from her to look her in the eye. She nods.

"You're right."

Then the lift makes the same dinging noise again, and another familiar face walks through the doors – my own. She looks exactly like me, up until the dyed black hair cut short just below her ears. My eyes widen. So do hers. Then she scowls.

"Of course it's you! Why wouldn't it be you? Of _course_ you show up! Why can't I ever go _anywhere_ without finding you?"

"Shut it! We've got more important things to deal with right now!"

"Okay, Rose, I have seen a lot of confusing things in my life, but _what the fuck is going on right now?_" Mickey cries.

"She's my clone!" I spit, glaring at her.

"You've got a _clone_?"

"I'm right here! In the room!"

"That's fascinating!" the Doctor exclaims, examining Maya. He pokes her in the arm and she slaps him across the face. He frowns, rubbing his cheek.

"I like Rose better. She only hits me when I deserve it."

"Yeah, well, she's just perfect, isn't she? I'm only her carbon copy," Maya frowns. "You don't need to like me." She turns to me. "Why are they calling you Rose?"

"Because that's my new name."

"Seems more like you're the one copying me," she says, crossing her arms. "So now neither of us is Maximum Ride?"

"You were never Maximum Ride," I say, glaring at her. "Jeb only made you to trick the Flock. You couldn't even succeed at that – you were such a lousy Max they saw right through you."

"I didn't ever _want_ to be Maximum Ride! I _hate _you!"

"Yeah, well, I hate you too Maya! You just come along to replace me and you think I can ever forgive you for that? For trying to hurt the people I love? It's not going to happen!" I shout.

"Girls!"

Silence falls across the room and we both look at Dr. M.

"You both are being absolutely ridiculous right now. We have an issue that could destroy the entire universe – the entire _planet_ – and you two are practically having a catfight! Just stop!"

"Sorry," we both say, and then glare at each other.

"Stop it! No you stop it! Ugh!" we growl in unison.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Maya scowls, gesturing toward the Doctor.

"I'm the Doctor."

"Hold on – _the _Doctor?"

"Yes," Ari sighs. "_The_ Doctor."

All of a sudden, Maya's got her gun out and aimed at the Doctor's forehead.

"What are you all thinking? He's the enemy! Why isn't he locked up? Just because he came with Max, you're going to trust him? I think not. The entire _basis _of this organization is to take down the Doctor."

"Put the gun down," I say, taking out my own and pointing it at her. Fury rises up inside.

"Stop, Rose," the Doctor says quietly. "It's alright. I can handle this."

"No!" I say shortly. "I'm tired of taking shit from her. I'm tired of her trying to hurt people I care about. I'm not going to stand for it anymore. So put the fucking gun down, Maya, or I swear, I will put a bullet in your chest."

She eyes me carefully before lowering her gun. Ari reaches out and takes it out of her hand. She lets him. I lower my own, walking close to her and speaking just loud enough for her to hear. She glares at me, her eyes narrow.

"If you ever try to hurt him again, I will not hesitate to kill you. That goes for Ella, Ari – anyone."

"We don't have time for this," Pete finally explodes. "You've had it. This world is gonna crash and burn, there's nothing we can do. We're going home. Jacks, take this." He tosses her a yellow dimension cannon.

"But they're destroying the city!"

"I'd forgotten you can argue," Pete says, somewhat fondly, looping the chain around her neck himself. "It's not just the city. The entire world is going down, Jackie." He takes her face in his hands. "There's another world waiting for you, and it's safe. As long as the Doctor closes the breach."

"Oh, I'm ready!" he says excitedly, donning his 3D glasses again. "All the equipment right here, thank you, Torchwood!"

"We can't just leave!" I protest. "The Daleks and Cybermen!"

The Doctor hops on the computer, pressing a few buttons to reboot the system.

"They're part of the problem. And that makes them part of the solution!" the Doctor beams, standing up and adjusting his glasses while making huge gestures with his arm. He pauses, looking around at all of us.

"Well? Isn't anyone going to ask? What's with the glasses?"

"What's with the glasses?" I ask immediately.

"I can see!" he cries happily.

"Really?" Maya asks sarcastically, rolling her eyes. The Doctor ignores her.

"You see, we've got two separate worlds, but in between them, there's the Void. The Daleks were hiding in there. The Cybermen passed through it. Jake, you and your men, Mickey, Pete – all of you came through the Void. I've been through it! See?"

He takes the glasses off and pushes them onto my face. They sit crookedly on my nose and I fix them before focusing on the Doctor. He dodges back and forth so I can see the green and red particles that float around his body. I turn around to look at the others.

"Everyone here has been through the Void except Ari, Ella, Dr. M, Maya, and your mother. First time she's looked normal in her life."

Maya laughs outright at that, and Ella can't help but smirk. Mum scowls at him.

"Oi, alien boy! I'll slap you!"

The Doctor ignores her, gallivanting over to the blank white wall and slapping it.

"The Daleks _lived _inside the Void. They're soaked with Void stuff. Cybermen too, all of them. I just open the Void, and then that's it. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside."

"Pulling them all in!" I finish enthusiastically.

"Hold on, what's the Void, exactly? I didn't really understand before," Ella asks.

"Dead space," the Doctor says. "Some people call it Hell."

"So, you're sending the Cybermen and Daleks to Hell," Mickey summarizes, nodding at Jake. "Told you he was good."

"But hold on. Like you said, we've all got Void stuff. Me too, since we went to that parallel world. We're all contaminated, we'll all get sucked in," I say.

"That's why you've gotta go," he says, suddenly solemn. I stare at him blankly. Go where? Where would I go?

"Back to Pete's World," he continues, as if reading my thoughts. He smiles, nodding at Pete. "We should call it that. Pete's World." I frown and he turns back to me. "I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side."

"And you close it? For good?" Dr. M asks. The Doctor nods in confirmation.

"The breach itself is soaked in Void stuff, in the end it'll close itself. That's it. Kaput."

"And you stay on this side?" I ask incredulously.

"But you'll get pulled in!" Mickey says.

"That's why I've got these!" the Doctor says cheerfully, but there's a false note in his voice. He's not happy at all, he's just pretending. And if he really thinks I'm going to that parallel world without a fight, he is absolutely mental. He reaches over and picks up his giant magna-clamps. "I'll have to hold on tight – I've been doing it all my life.

"I'm just supposed to go?" I ask, frowning.

"Yep!" the Doctor says. He drops his magna clamp and it crashes on the ground. He heads right over to the computer and types away furiously, refusing to even look at me.

"To a parallel universe? And then it gets sealed off?"

"Yep."

I laugh outright at that. "That's not going to happen!"

"There's no time to argue," Pete says.

"That's alright, I'm not arguing. I'm staying right here. You guys go, stay safe."

"You're going with them, Rose," the Doctor says.

"Come on. The plan works, we go in. You too. All of us," Pete says urgently, grabbing a dimension cannon and passing one to Jake. He shoves one into my hands and I slam it on an empty desk.

"I'm not leaving him!"

"I'm not going without her!" Mum cries.

"Oh my god, we're going," Pete says.

"I've had twenty years without you, so button it. I'm not leaving her." I look at her sadly.

"Mum – you've got to go. You'll be happy. You've finally got Pete back. Don't give that up just for me."

"That's tough. What about Angel? I'm just supposed to leave her behind too? I don't think so!"

"Mum, you don't understand," I say, trying to keep my voice from cracking. It's time to say goodbye. "Angel and I will be fine. We will. We've got each other, alright? We can make things work. I don't want you to give this up. You have the chance to really be happy for once, and be with Pete again! I'm not worth that. I can't make you happy the way he can."

"Yes you can!" she insists. "Rose, you have absolutely no idea what you mean to me! I love you! You're my _daughter_."

"You've just got to go," I say sadly, trying not to cry. "I can't leave the Doctor like this. He travels the universe on his own, Mum. He's done so much for me, so much for you…so much for the entire damn _planet_, and he does it alone. That used to be me. I've been there, and I know it's not fun. But not anymore. I'm with him. I'm not alone, he's not alone…"

Suddenly I feel cool metal around my neck and my insides are being twisted around, the world going black for a split second. The next moment, I'm standing in the same exact spot in a darker room. I realize immediately what the Doctor did, noticing the dimension cannon around my neck. That son of a bitch snuck up behind me. I don't think so.

"No, not this time. He's not sending me away," I mutter angrily, slamming down on the yellow button. I feel the uncomfortable squeezing again, but in less than a bl8ink I'm back in the other universe, standing in the brightly lit Torchwood room. The Doctor looks up at me from a computer, startled. Then he gets slightly angry, storming up to me.

He grabs me roughly by the shoulders, ducking down slightly to look me directly in the eye. I don't shrink under his gaze, just stare right back at him, challenging.

"Once the breach collapses, that's _it_. You will _never_ be able to see her again. Your own mother!"

I back up, just enough so my palm meets his face with a loud clapping sound. He steps back slightly, wincing and rubbing his cheek.

"You _idiot_," I shout. "When are you going to get it through your thick head? I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm not leaving you!"

He stares at me, dumbstruck.

"Tell me what to do," I demand. He stares at me, finally giving in with a sigh. He points at a computer.

"Set the coordinates to six," he says. I stalk over to the computer, still a bit angry, and take the stupid dimension cannon from around my neck. "And hurry up!"

"Where the hell are Ella and the others?" I ask while I'm typing.

"I told them to find a safe hiding place."

I look up from the computer for a brief moment to look him in the eye.

"Thank you," I say softly. He nods. The computer beeps and I glance at the notification on the screen anxiously, adrenaline coursing through my veins.

"Cybermen on the way up. One floor down."

He heads over to the computer, looking over my shoulder. He reaches around me and types in a command.

"Levers activated," announces the computer. The Doctor grins.

"There we go, bit of a smile," I say, grinning at him. "The old team."

"Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake!"

"Which one's Shiver?"

"Oh, I'm Shake!"

He grabs a magna-clamp and dumps it in my arms, going to attach his own to the wall. I watch what he does and mimic him on the other side of the room.

"When it starts, hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us, but the Daleks and Cybermen are steeped in Void stuff. Ready?"

I nod, taking a hold of the lever.

"Now!" the Doctor says, pushing his lever up. I do the same with mine before grabbing onto the magna-clamp tightly.

"Online," says the computer. A strong wind picks up in the room, blowing my hair in my face. The white wall opens up, white light blinding. Daleks from outside are sucked into the building, smashing the glass, and pulled right through the wall into the Void. Hundreds of Cybermen and Daleks hurtle past me, tumbling into Hell.

Suddenly, there's a shower of sparks from the lever beside me. It slides back into its original position.

"Offline," says the computer.

"Turn it on!" the Doctor shouts over the wind.

I reach for the lever with one arm, trying to hold on to the magna clamp, straining as far as I can, but I can't reach it. Reluctantly, I release the clamp and cling to the lever. I struggle to push it upright again, fighting against the wind currents, but with a surge of strength, I get it back into place.

"Online and locked," the computer confirms. I grip the lever tightly, the only thing I have to hang on to. My sweaty palms start slipping, and my heart goes crazy, beating a million times a minute.

"Rose! Hold on!" the Doctor shouts desperately. I close my eyes and focus, my body lifting in the air by the pull of the Void.

"If I can stick to walls and ceilings, I can stick to this," I tell myself, gripping the lever as tightly as I can. I smile when I feel my skin molding to the handle. For just a few more moments, the Void pulls at us uselessly, and then all the Daleks and Cybermen are pulled in. The wall appears to crumple up like paper, closing in on itself. My body falls to the floor, my fists still grasping the lever. I stare at the wall, my eyes wide.

My heart begins to slow back to its normal pace, but my blood is still coursing with adrenaline. Blood rushes in my ears, and I can hear the distant sound of the Doctor crying my name. I feel a wave of nausea coming on, releasing my clutch on the lever to bringing my hand to my forehead. It comes away red and sticky – I hadn't even realize I'd hit my head.

"Rose! Rose, look at me! Rose!" the Doctor is saying frantically. Still wide eyed with shock, my eyes flicker to his own worried expression. He's kneeling next to me, grasping my waist tightly.

"Oh, Rassilon, Rose," he breathes, pulling me into his arms. I curl in closer to his chest, grateful that he's here with me, and not in a different universe. We came to close to being separated.

Another wave of nausea comes on when I remember. Mum is in the other universe – I'm never going to see her again. Everything she did for me – she saved my _life_ – and I never even thanked her properly. Mickey is gone too. I just hope they're happy. I take a deep, shaky breath. The Doctor wipes tears from my eyes gently. I didn't even realize I was crying.

I sit there crying silently in the Doctor's arms. He holds me close and murmurs comforting things in my ear.

My family is gone, and I'm never going to see them again. They're good as dead now. Again.

**~DW~**

** Wellllllll? Did you like it? I hope you liked it! A lot of you were worried I was going to chuck Max!Rose to the parallel universe…I wouldn't do that to my main character! Review and let me know what you thought! There's one last part to this section of the story, then we move onto series 3!**


	36. Goodbye

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone! The day after I posted the last chapter, I woke up to about a dozen wonderful emails about reviews, and more came throughout the day! All of you are fantastic, and I can't thank you enough! Enjoy the chapter!**

**P.S. You guys were supposed to get this yesterday but the wifi was being stupid, sorry.**

**~DW**

_ Another wave of nausea comes on when I remember. Mum is in the other universe – I'm never going to see her again. Everything she did for me – she saved my life – and I never even thanked her properly. Mickey is gone too. I just hope they're happy. I take a deep, shaky breath. The Doctor wipes tears from my eyes gently. I didn't even realize I was crying._

_ I sit there crying silently in the Doctor's arms. He holds me close and murmurs comforting things in my ear. _

_ My family is gone, and I'm never going to see them again. They're good as dead now. Again._

Distantly, I hear footsteps coming from behind me, and a hand falls to my shoulder. The Doctor looks up.

"Max," Dr. M says softly. I suppose I can call her Mum now. There's no one else left to hold that title.

"I'm fine," I mumble, my mouth on autopilot. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Maximum…"

"Stop it. Just…I don't want to talk about it," I say hoarsely, slightly louder than before. The Doctor looks at me carefully, pushing my hair out of my face.

"We should get you cleaned up. I want to make sure you're okay," he says quietly, touching the cut on my forehead tenderly. I wince.

"Ouch."

"Sorry. Come on, we're going back to the TARDIS, I can fix you up in the infirmary."

I start to nod, but think better of it. The pounding in my head is already bad enough.

"I'm coming with you," Mum says. The Doctor nods, having already expected this.

"Go get Ella and Ari, too. I think it's best that Maya stays here for now."

"Alright. I'll meet you there," Mum agrees. She leans down and kisses me on the cheek.

"I'm so sorry, honey. Really."

"Yeah," I mumble. She gives me a sympathetic look as she leaves the room. I sigh, rubbing my eyes tiredly.

Wordlessly, the Doctor helps me stand, keeping his arm around my waist. I cling to him, barely able to stand upright as my vision goes blurry for a moment. I blink, trying to clear it up.

"I think you might have a concussion," he says worriedly, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and scanning me over quickly. I wince at the loud noise and bright light.

"Yeah, definitely a concussion. Want me to go get the TARDIS and come back for you?"

"No," I say quickly, grabbing onto his sleeve tightly. "No. Don't leave me alone."

"Okay. It's okay. I'm not going anywhere, Rose, I promise," he murmurs. I loop one of my arms around his neck and he helps me limp over to the lift, which opens as soon as he presses the button. There aren't many people left to use it, after all. I just want to get out of this awful place. I decide immediately I never want to come back again.

Inside, I lean half on him, half on the wall, closing my eyes. A sudden tiredness has overcome me.

"No, don't do that," the Doctor tells me. "Stay awake."

"Sorry," I apologize, blinking.

"Just don't fall asleep on me, you might not wake up."

I stare blankly at the wall, and something hits me. The tears threaten to start flowing again. My cheeks flush – I'm done crying. I'm supposed to be the strong one. I can't lose my head like this.

"Oh my god, what am I going to tell Angel?" I gasp, my hand flying to cover my mouth. I bite my lip. "She finally has a family and they're ripped away from her again..."

"Hey," the Doctor says, rubbing my arm comfortingly. "Everything is going to be okay. She's strong, Angel. She learned from you, after all." He smiles, and I make a lousy attempt to do the same, but it's almost as if my muscles have forgotten how.

Finally, we've reached the right floor, and conveniently enough, the TARDIS is within view as the lift doors slide open. I've never been happier to see her, yet I can't even crack a smile. The Doctor readjusts his grip on my waist and we wobble over to the doors together. I slump tiredly on the door while he unlocks it. Then he looks at me, reaching out to grab my waist again, and frowns.

"This isn't working," he says. In a swift movement, he sweeps me off my feet. He carries me bridal-style through the doors and down the corridors to the infirmary, setting me down on one of the white beds. I automatically begin breathing through my mouth. I might be able to stand being in here now, after the many accidents (broken bones and cuts) I've had on various planets, but I still can't stand the medicinal smell that accompanies it.

The Doctor fumbles around in some drawers, pulling out a toothpaste-like tube and a bottle that must be filled with pills. He pulls out his glasses to read the labels.

"Here we go. Take two of these and you'll be good as new in a couple of hours. You'll be a bit tired, these will put you right to sleep for a few hours or so," the Doctor says, pulling a bottle of water out of a mini refrigerator attached to the cabinets and handing it to me along with two small orange pills. I swallow them, gulping down the water.

"This is just going to heal up your cut," he says, holding up the tube. He unscrews the cap and squeezes some blue gel into his fingers, and then gently rubs it into my forehead. Then he replaces the cap and takes out some gauze.

"I'm just going to wrap it," he explains, unraveling some of the roll. He rips it off at one point and wraps the strip around my head like a sweatband.

"So I'll be up and ready to go in an hour or two," I clarify. He shakes his head.

"_No._ You need a few hours rest, superior biology or not," he says, finishing with the bandage.

"I'm sure this is attractive," I sigh.

"Did Rose Tyler just make a joke?" the Doctor asks with a half-smile. The corners of my mouth turn up ever so slightly. Then guilt floods through me when I think of Mum in the parallel universe.

I yawn loudly. The Doctor rinses his hands off and replaces the medicines he gave me, closing the drawer carefully. The TARDIS starts humming loudly.

"I think Dr. M is outside with Ella and Ari," the Doctor says. "I'll go let them in."

I start to get up, but the Doctor stops me.

"I don't think so. You need to _rest_, Rose."

"No!" I protest, wanting to go with him.

"Yes!"

"Don't leave me here alone," I say, feeling childish. My cheeks flush slightly. I don't want him to go. I feel like I might never see him again. Ridiculous worries circle through my mind, like maybe the Void didn't close completely and he'll get sucked in.

The Doctor's gaze softens, and he kisses me on the forehead, careful to avoid my injury. I reach out and grab his hand, holding onto it tightly.

"I'll be back in less than three minutes," he assures me. "You can count the seconds if you want. Try to go to sleep. I promise I'll be here when you wake up."

Reluctantly, I release my grip on his hand. He squeezes mine one last time before exiting the room. Everything is silent besides the gentle hum of the TARDIS.I yawn again, frowning at myself. I pinch my arm, trying to keep myself awake. But as much as I try, sleep slowly comes up from behind and swallows me into darkness.

**~DW~**

_I'm clinging to the lever tightly, but my grip is slipping fast. I can hear the Doctor screaming my name, telling me to hold on, and with every last bit of my strength, I try. But it's not enough._

_ My sweaty palms slip, and I go hurtling toward the Void and break-neck speed. The Doctor shouts my name desperately as I tumble through the air violently. _

_ Then suddenly, I crash into something. My insides are twisted, and I feel like I'm suffocating, but then everything is over and the world is silent. My wide eyes take in the room at the darker Torchwood – I'm in the parallel universe._

_ I wrestle the dimension cannon from Pete's grasp, slamming down on the button, but nothing happens. _

_ "It's closed. The Void is closed. His plan worked. The Doctor did it," he says, like he doesn't quite believe it. I freeze, dropping the cannon and turning to stare at the wall just a foot away from me._

_ "No," I whisper, my heart pounding painfully in my chest. Tears build up quickly, spilling over. I don't even have the chance to try and hold them back. _

_ "No!" I shout, kicking the wall. My foot goes straight through the plaster, creating a huge hole. "Take me back! Take me back!"_

**~DW~**

"Rose! Rose, wake up!"

My eyes fly open, my heart racing. I sit up quickly, nearly bumping heads with the Doctor. I stare at him.

"Oh, god…" I breathe, throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him as close to me as I can. He hugs me tightly.

"Hey, it's okay. It was just a bad dream, I'm right here," he says, rubbing my back. I bury my face in his neck, breathing him in and calming myself down. Then he pulls back and examines the bandage around my forehead.

"How are you feeling? Does your head hurt at all?"

"Not as much, anymore," I tell him. "Just a bit of a headache."

He nods, reaching for the bandage, and I lean my head toward him. He unravels it slowly.

"Healed right up, not even a scar," he says, rubbing his thumb across my forehead gently. "That never fails to amaze me, you know. Your healing capabilities…"

"Am I allowed out of bed now?" I ask, rolling my eyes before he starts rambling.

"Yes," he says, smiling slightly. "Your mother has been waiting for you to wake up. I sent her off to the television room with Ella and Ari."

"We need to go get Angel," I say quietly, rubbing my eyes. I swing my legs over the side of the bed, stretching, and stand slowly. I bite my lip nervously. "What do I even say? How do I even begin to explain this to her?"

"I'm so sorry, Rose," the Doctor says sadly. "I mean…if you want…I could find a way to get you and Angel safely through the Void…"

"No," I say shortly. "I told you. I'm not going anywhere. We can ask Angel what she wants, but no matter what, I am _staying_ with you."

"Are you sure?" he asks, looking slightly scared of my response. As if I'd say no.

"I'm _positive._ Mum lived for years without me, before she even knew I existed, and Angel managed on her own with Total. They'd be fine without me." I take his hand. "You, I'm not so sure about." He cracks a tiny smile.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to stay with me so badly? You're practically giving up your _family,_ Rose…"

"Because…" I struggle to look for the words, looking up at his confused expression.

_He really has no idea,_ the TARDIS tells me. I contemplate my options for a moment. I remember Ella's words:

_You and Fang went on for so long pretending you didn't feel that way about each other. Things might have ended differently if you had both stopped being stupid about it earlier. Don't let this slip away from you too._

The Doctor opens his mouth to say something else, but in a sudden movement, I cut him off, tugging his lips down to meet mine. He freezes in place, and I pull back quickly.

"Sorry…" I begin, staring into his wide eyes, but something clicks in his head and this time, he's the one cupping my chin and pulling _me _in for a fervent kiss. My eyes flutter closed and for the first time in a long time, I feel the happy butterflies in my stomach. My heart starts beating faster, and I can feel the Doctor's hearts beating steadily through his suit jacket. After a few breathless moments, we both pull back.

"We should go get Angel," he says, and I nod, fiddling with the lapels of his jacket.

"Yeah. She needs to know," I sigh, dreading the oncoming conversation. "She'll be so upset…" My voice cracks and I feel like I have to cry, but I just don't have any tears left in me.

The Doctor kisses my forehead softly.

"Come on," he says, tugging my sleeve gently and sliding his hand down my arm to lace our fingers together. We walk out of the room. For some reason, I had imagined the atmosphere would have been happier the first time I kissed the Doctor. Go figure, it would be the opposite.

**~DW~**

For once, even the TARDIS seems sad. The ride is smooth and gentle, not the shaking, exiting one that it usually is. The Doctor doesn't bound around the console in a crazy whirl, just moves fast enough to hit the right buttons and switches. I sit on the captain's chair, staring at the door, and dreading the moment I'm going to have to open it.

I know we've arrived when the Doctor approaches me silently.

"Are you ready?"

"I'm never going to be ready. Let's just get this over with."

He nods, taking my hand and leading me to the door. It swings open slowly, without a creak or scratch or any kind of noise at all. Sarah Jane, Luke, Angel, Total, and K9 all stand anxiously outside the TARDIS, beaming when they see us.

"You did it!" Luke cries happily, and Sarah Jane and Angel are clapping, but it dies quickly when they see the looks on our faces. The color drains from Angel's face, Luke goes wide-eyed, and Sarah Jane and Total frown.

"What happened?" Sarah Jane asks, barely loud enough to hear.

"Mum?" Angel asks, sounding scared. My eyes flicker over to her, and I suppress the urge to cry again. Oh, god.

"Angel," I begin carefully, my voice thick. I bend down to match her height, placing one hand on her shoulder and using the other to wipe the wetness from her face. Tears have started spilling over, and she doesn't even know why yet.

"Do you remember when Uncle Mickey left?" She nods, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Grandmum is gone, too. She's with him now. I'm so sorry, sweetie…"

She gasps, her hand flying to cover her mouth, and the tears start coming faster. She throws her arms around my neck and cries into my shoulder. I close my eyes, shaking my head.

"Oh, not Jackie…" Sarah Jane whispers, her own flow of tears starting. Her arm is around Luke, who cries silently beside her. Total just looks shocked, his mouth hanging open, like her can't quite believe it.

"Angel," the Doctor says softly, kneeling beside me and placing a hand gently on her back. She looks up, her eyes wet and red, and sniffles.

"Rose and I were talking; earlier…what you need to understand is this. Mickey and Jackie are in a parallel universe, with a living version of Pete Tyler. That dimension is sealed off from this one, but if I can find even a small little tear…it's nearly impossible, but I _think_…just _maybe_, and that's a big maybe, there might be a way to send you to them…if you want."

"But what about you? You'll be here on your own," she says, wiping her eyes.

"No, he wouldn't be," I say softly. "Because I would be staying here." Her eyes widen and she shakes her head quickly.

"No. No, I'm staying with you. I've practically just found you again, I'm not leaving," she says, throwing her arms around me again. The last part of her sentence is muffled in the fabric of my shirt.

"Shh," I say, rubbing her back gently. "It's okay, you don't have to go." She pulls back slightly and nods.

"But…is there any way to say goodbye?" she asks, looking at the Doctor hopefully. He thinks for a moment.

"I'll do everything I can, Angel," he tells her. She pulls away from me and throws her arms around him. He hugs her tightly.

"Thank you," she whispers. "Thank you."

"Sarah Jane, can I talk to you privately for a minute?" I ask her. She nods, gesturing for me to follow her out of the room into the hall. We speak in hushed tones.

"I'm so sorry, Rose," she begins. I hold up a hand.

"It's…it's fine. I'll be okay. I just have a favor to ask of you."

"Anything. What do you need?"

I sigh. "I'm going to ask Angel to come along with us in the TARDIS…but I don't think she'll want to. She's had enough of everyday life where she needs to run away from bad guys – that's exactly why she turned down the offer last time. But the thing is, now, she and Total don't have anywhere to go..."

"Of course I'll take her in," Sarah Jane interrupts, not even letting me ask the question. I smile gratefully, pulling her in for a hug.

"I don't know what I would do without you. Thank you so much," I say. "I can never repay you for this."

"That won't be necessary at all."

I pull back, nodding. I know better than to argue with her. We enter the room again. Angel's tears have slowed a bit, the Doctor trying to comfort her, and Luke sits on the floor petting Total. K9 stand by, ready in case anyone needs him.

"Angel?" I ask carefully. She looks up at me, the Doctor following her gaze.

"Yeah?"

"There are some people inside that want to see you," I tell her, nodding at the TARDIS. Her face screws up in confusion.

"What? Who?"

"Just…come with me, okay? You too, Total." She nods, holding out her hand. I take it, leading her through the TARDIS doors. Total trots along next to us, but he's still not as giddy as he usually is. He doesn't even have the energy to be annoying. The Doctor follows right behind us, motioning for Sarah Jane, Luke, and K9 to follow. The four of them stop in the console room, and the Doctor gestures for me to go on without them.

I lead Angel and Total down the hall to the television room, where the Doctor told me the others were earlier. I crack the doors open, pushing it the rest of the way. Mum, Ella, and Ari look up from the couch quickly. The room is silent – they hadn't even been watching anything. Angel gasps.

"Angel! Total!" Ella cries, rushing up to them. She pulls Angel into a tight hug, which is returned. Ari and Mum approach more cautiously, unsure of what the reaction will be. Total growls at them.

"Stop it, Total. They're okay," I say. He quiets down, but still sniffs at them, distrusting. Ella finally releases Angel, who's completely shocked, and goes for Total. She picks him up and scratches him behind the ears.

Angel stares at Mum and Ari, frowning.

"Why are they here, Mum? She…she works for the School!" Angel cries, backing up into me and taking a fistful of my shirt. "And him! He's one of Jeb's clones!"

"Angel, it's okay. I promise you, they wouldn't be in the TARDIS if they weren't."

Mum speaks up first. "Angel, I'm so sorry…I know you think that I was working against you, but I promise, I wasn't. Working undercover in the School isn't easy, and I would have to pretend to be on their side more often than not. I never actually was, though. I don't even pretend to work for them anymore, they think I'm dead."

"She runs Torchwood, now," Ari adds helpfully. "I work for her."

"What's Torchwood?"

"We protect the Earth from aliens and stuff," Ari explains vaguely. Angel nods.

"I guess…I guess you're okay, then." Ari smiles at her, and so does Mum, who holds out her arms. Angel gives her a quick hug, still slightly unsure of them. She and Ari start to go for a hug, but settle on a handshake instead.

I suppose I actually still have a family. It's mine, I found it. It's small, and broken…but still good.

**~DW~**

For months, the Doctor searches for the smallest tear between the universes, trying to find a way to say goodbye to Mum and Mickey. During that time, we drop Mum, Ella, and Ari back on Earth, to try and reform Torchwood. Maya didn't seem happy that we left them to do it on their own, but the Doctor did hint at a few things to help them get started. ("Try being _nice_ to the aliens. Not all of them want to take over the planet.") I exchanged phone numbers with all four of them, even Maya, so they could contact us if anything went wrong.

I checked with Angel about her living circumstances, making sure she was okay with staying at Sarah Jane's with Luke (she was, of course). Sarah Jane worked out all the legal issues, and we were good to go. However, Angel had been staying on the TARDIS while the Doctor was doing all his searching.

As much as we seemed on the road to recovery, the loss still hurt all of us badly. Even the Doctor seemed a bit sad that he would never have a cup of tea from Mum again. Angel had nightmares sometimes (she had taken to falling asleep in my room with me) and I would have to comfort her. But I didn't sleep much at all – when I did, the nightmares were awful. I couldn't even sleep in the same room as Angel anymore because I didn't want her to worry. I sat with her until she fell asleep, and then went across the hall to a new room that the TARDIS made for me. When Angel had a bad dream, the TARDIS would tell me so I could go wake her and calm her down.

More often than not, when I had a nightmare, the Doctor would be the one waking me up. He would murmur comforting things, stroking my hair and calming me down until I fell asleep again. It got to the point where he did his Time Lord mind tricks to me and Angel every night so we could get some sleep.

We didn't talk much about the time we kissed, but both of us knew something had changed between us. We didn't spend a lot of time apart – while he was researching ways to contact Mum, I was usually there in the console room, just watching him, because I didn't want to let him out of my sight. I couldn't have him disappearing on me too. He kissed me on the forehead and the cheek much more often (though still not as much as I'd like), and on extremely rare occasions, a quick peck on the lips (That's only happened about twice. It's been two months.) We didn't tell anyone about it – the only one who knew was Angel, because she walked in on us one day. I'm almost positive her squeal could be heard to the end of the universe. That was the first time the three of us really smiled since Canary Wharf.

I'm sitting with Angel one morning (at least according to the Earth-time clocks on the TARDIS), braiding her hair, when there's a knock on the door.

"Come in," I call. The Doctor pokes his head through the door.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure. Hold onto that, Angel," I say, holding out the bottom of her braid in her face. She takes it from me, holding it between her thumb and forefinger. I walk over to the Doctor, who opens the door for me to walk through, then closes it carefully behind me.

"What's up?"

"I found a crack," he says. "Between the universes." My heart picks up slightly.

"We can say goodbye?" I ask, making sure I understand him correctly. He nods.

"Yeah. But we need to do it soon – it's sealing quickly. The sooner we do it, the longer you'll have, and I can't promise you any more than a few minutes."

"You don't understand," I say hoarsely. "A few minutes are everything. Thank you."

"Meet me in the console room as soon as you can," he says, kissing me on the cheek. I open the door to my room, and Angel is already standing next to the door waiting. She's undone her hair, fiddling with a strand of it.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to eavesdrop?"

"Sorry," she says, not meaning it at all. "Is it true? Really? We get to say goodbye?"

"Yeah. Come on," I say, putting an arm around her shoulder. "We've only got a few minutes."

We make our way to the console room, where the Doctor is flicking switches and buttons.

"Have you moved the TARDIS?" I ask.

"We're in orbit around a supernova," he explains. "We need energy to send projections to the other universe. I'm burning up a sun."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Just concentrate on Jackie, really think of her. You'll probably be good at this, Angel. Send her a message with your mind. Tell her to follow your voice."

She nods, closing her eyes. The Doctor and I watch her; confident she'll be able to pull through. Sure enough, a hologram of Mum appears, right in front of us. She looks sad.

"Rose? Angel?" she gasps.

"Hi, Mum," I say thickly. Angel opens her eyes, looking ready to cry. I put my hands on her shoulders.

"Hi, Grandmum," she says, waving.

"You two look like ghosts."

"Can you fix that?" I ask, turning to the Doctor. He nods, flicking a switch.

"Better?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Is that himself?" Mum asks, raising an eyebrow. I nod, offering a small smile. "Tell him to get his arse over here."

The Doctor rolls his eyes good-naturedly, coming to stand behind me and putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Hello, Jackie."

"You'd better be taking care of my girls."

"I think they're taking more care of me, actually."

"That's my girls," Mum smiles proudly. Angel smiles, but she's started crying silently.

"Hey, now," Mum says softly. "Don't cry." She reaches for Angel, but the Doctor shakes his head.

"I'm sorry. We're only an image. No touch."

"Course not," Mum sighs. "I figured." She pauses. "I hardly know what to say."

"Where are we?" the Doctor asks. "Where did the gap come out?"

"We're in Norway," Mum says distastefully. "It's called Darlig Ulv Stranden."

"Dalek?" I repeat, wide eyed. What a coincidence that is…and not a fun one.

"No. _Darlig_."

"That's Norwegian," the Doctor puts in. "It means bad. The whole phrase translates to Bad Wolf Bay."

We share a knowing look. Stupid Bad Wolf – it's haunting me even now.

"You've still got Pete, yeah? And Mickey? You're doing alright?" I ask, suppressing my own flow of tears.

"And the baby," Mum says, smiling. My jaw drops.

"You're not…"

"Three months gone," she says. "Another Tyler on the way."

"Oh, Mum…that's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"Little boy. We're calling him Max."

That's enough to send the tears spilling over.

"Oh my god, Mum…"

"Will you tell him about us?" Angel asks, trying to wipe tears from her eyes and failing miserably. I run my fingers through her hair, trying to comfort her.

"Of course I'm going to tell him about you, love! Angel Tyler - the sweetest girl I ever had the pleasure of calling my granddaughter, and Rose Tyler - Defender of the Earth. Even the Doctor."

"Just don't forget us," Angel says.

"I'll never forget you. Both of you – you changed my life, you showed me so many things." She pauses, taking a deep breath, clearly holding back her own tears.

"And the two of you," Mum says, pointing at the Doctor and me in turn. "Need to stop dancing around your feelings. Get over yourselves and kiss already."

Angel grins mischievously through her tears. Mum's jaw drops.

"Really? You're together now?"

"Well, I suppose," the Doctor shrugs, smiling. I can't help but crack one of my own happy faces. Then Mum gets angry.

"I swear, Doctor, if you don't take good care of her – if you _ever _hurt her, I _will_ find a way to cross universes to kick your sorry arse."

"You have my word, Jackie."

"That goes for Angel, too."

"Understood."

"Tell Mickey hello, and we miss him," Angel says. Mum nods.

"Course I will."

"Have a good life, okay Mum? For us," I choke out. She nods, tears beginning to fall. The TARDIS console beeps.

"Only about half a minute left," the Doctor informs us solemnly. Mum nods.

"I love you," she says.

"I love you too," Angel replies.

"I love you," I add. "And…I just want to say thank you. For everything you've done. You saved my life, and I can never even begin to express how much that means to me. I would never be able to repay you."

"You already did. I watched you grow, Rose…you're such a strong and beautiful young lady, and I couldn't be more proud of you. The same goes for you, Angel. Don't ever forget that. No matter what happens – I'll never forget you, and I'll always love you."

I open my mouth to reply, but Mum's form fades away right before my eyes. I take a deep breath, running my hand over my face tiredly. Angel turns around and hugs me, burying her face in my shirt while she sobs. The Doctor wraps his arms around both of us wordlessly. Suddenly, I hear a voice.

"What?"

We all turn around, completely bewildered, to face a ginger woman in a poofy wedding dress. The Doctor's eyes widen in confusion.

"What?"

"Who the hell are you?" shrieks the woman.

"What?" the Doctor repeats, even more confused.

"Where am I? What's going on?" shouts the woman.

Angel grips me tightly, her eyes wide as she takes in the scene, her face still wet with tears. I wipe my own eyes, squeezing her hand gently.

"What is this place?!"

_"What?!"_


	37. The Runaway Bride

**A/N: Okay, I cut this chapter off because it was getting insanely long. (11,000 words – you're welcome) and I had an interlude planned for the next chapter anyway, so I'm just going to tack the end of this onto the beginning of that. Enjoy!**

**AND HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING I HAVE MORE THAN 200 REVIEWS THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**~DW~**

___ I open my mouth to reply, but Mum's form fades away right before my eyes. I take a deep breath, running my hand over my face tiredly. Angel turns around and hugs me, burying her face in my shirt while she sobs. The Doctor wraps his arms around both of us wordlessly. Suddenly, I hear a voice._

_ "What?"_

_ We all turn around, completely bewildered, to face a ginger woman in a poofy wedding dress. The Doctor's eyes widen in confusion._

_ "What?"_

_ "Who the hell are you?" shrieks the woman._

_ "What?" the Doctor repeats, even more confused._

_ "Where am I? What's going on?" shouts the woman._

_ Angel grips me tightly, her eyes wide as she takes in the scene, her face still wet with tears. I wipe my own eyes, squeezing her hand gently._

_ "What is this place?!"_

_ "What?!"_

I frown at the confusing exchange before me, sticking my fingers in my mouth and whistling loudly. The room silences immediately, both the Doctor and the woman staring at me with wide eyes.

"Both of you calm down!" I order. I meet eyes with the woman.

"What's your name?"

"Donna Noble!" she says angrily, crossing her arms. "But you would know, wouldn't you? Since you and him kidnapped me! You probably kidnapped that poor little girl, too! She's obviously been crying!"

"She's just lost someone close to her, who happened to be my _mother_, so I'd appreciate it if you would stop yelling in our faces!" I retort fiercely. Before she even has the chance to respond, the Doctor is asking more questions.

"Hold up, what are you dressed like that for?"

I smack myself in the forehead, and Angel sighs, the corners of her mouth turning up a bit.

"I'm going ten pin bowling!" Donna yells sarcastically. "What do you think, dumbo? I was halfway up the aisle! I've been waiting all my life for this, I was just seconds away, and you…I don't know, drugged me or something!"

"I haven't done anything!" the Doctor protests. He looks to me for help. I shrug. He frowns and turns to the controls, spinning dials and pressing buttons. For the first time, Donna seems to notice the door, and makes a beeline for it.

"No! Don't!" Angel says, just as she's opening the door. I kick into overdrive, running straight toward her and grabbing onto the back of Donna's dress before she stumbles out of the door into open space. Sure, the TARDIS would have broken her fall, but she's stressed enough right now, and if anything, she needs to calm down, not get more worked up. Her mouth falls open and she stares at the supernova we'd been orbiting.

"We're in outer space," Angel says calmly, coming up next to us. "This is a spaceship – his spaceship." She points at the Doctor. "She's called the TARDIS – she's the reason you're breathing right now. Without her protection, we'd have no air."

"Who are you?" Donna asks breathlessly, staring at us with wide eyes. She looks me up and down. "You – you were over there just a second ago. You couldn't have gotten here that fast, you…"

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor says, leaning on the TARDIS console behind us.

"Rose Tyler," I say, offering my hand. Donna stares at it. I sigh, pulling it back. "And that's Angel."

"What was your name?" the Doctor asks.

"Donna. Donna Noble."

"Human?"

"Is that optional?" Donna cries. The Doctor shrugs.

"It is for him," Angel says.

"You're an alien?" Donna asks, but it's more of a statement. The Doctor nods.

"And what about you?" she asks, turning to me and Angel. "Are you human?"

"Um…kind of. Not _completely_. Ninety-eight percent, does that count?"

"Well, what's the other two?"

"Bird."

"Of course it is, I should've known. You've probably got wings or something…"

"Actually, yeah," Angel says. "How'd you know?"

"Oh dear god…" Donna mutters, bringing her hand to her forehead. I smile sympathetically.

"Sorry. I know it's all a bit much at first, but you get used to it after a while." I close the TARDIS doors. When we turn around, the Doctor is obsessing over the TARDIS controls again.

"I don't understand! I understand everything! This is _impossible. _There is no way a human being can lock themselves onto the TARDIS and transport here…"

"Yeah, well, you said inter-dimensional conversation and travel was impossible too, but we were just talking to Mum a few minutes ago!" I point out. The Doctor ignores me, taking out a flashlight and shining it into Donna's eyes while he keeps muttering aloud.

"Maybe it's a subatomic connection. Something in the temporal field…or an alignment pulling you into the Chronon shell? Or macro mining your DNA within the interior matrix…or a genetic-"

His babble is cut off when Donna slaps him right across the face. Angel starts laughing outright when he stumbles backward, completely taken aback. I can't help but smirk.

"What was that for?"

"You were kind of asking for it, Doctor," I tell him, trying not to laugh.

"You're supposed to be on my side!" he frowns. I smile apologetically.

"Get me to Church!" Donna yells.

"Right! Fine! Don't want you here anyway!" the Doctor says, rubbing his red cheek and pouting. "Where is this wedding?"

"Saint Mary's, Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Solar System," Donna rattles off.

The Doctor yanks on a lever and heads right over to the door.

"Right. Chiswick." He steps outside and Angel follows. I start after them, motioning for Donna to come with me. She steps outside the TARDIS right behind me, scowling.

"I said Saint Mary's. What sort of Martian are you? Where's this?"

The Doctor is too busy stroking the TARDIS to answer her question.

"Something's wrong with her," he says. I frown.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"I think so. She's just recalibrating, digesting," he tells me, and turns back to the TARDIS. "What have you eaten?"

Angel tugs on my sleeve, pointing at Donna. She's making her way around the TARDIS, circling it with her mouth hanging open in shock. The Doctor heads right back inside to the console.

"Donna?" he calls. "You've really gotta think. Is there anything that might have caused this? Haven't been contacting aliens, have you?"

"Doctor," I sigh, crossing my arms. He just keeps talking.

"Have you seen lights in the sky?"

"Doctor…"

"Did you touch something? Something different, strange?"

"Doctor…"

"Who are you getting married to?"

"Doctor!" I say loudly, and he finally looks up at me. Donna pokes her head back through the TARDIS doors.

"There you are. Are you sure your fiancé is human? Not a bit overweight with a zip around his forehead?"

Donna doesn't acknowledge his question, but rather turns around and runs for it. Angel goes right after her, and I roll my eyes, following.

"Wait!"

Donna pauses, looking back at her.

"Leave me alone! I just want to get married!" she cries. I feel sorry for her. She didn't ask to get dragged into all this.

"Donna," I say, catching up to her and Angel. "I know this is a lot to take in – just come back to the TARDIS and we can work this all out."

"No way – that box is too weird."

"Come on," Angel prods. "It's only bigger on the inside."

"Is that all?" Donna says sarcastically. "How old are you anyway? You look a bit young for time and space travel – or is that what they do now?"

"I'm fourteen!" Angel says, crossing her arms and frowning.

"What about you? How old are you?" Donna asks me, gesturing wildly.

"Twenty-two. I've been travelling with the Doctor for three years," I tell her.

"Oh, god," she says, sighing. She looks like she's about to cry. "Ten past three. I'm gonna miss it."

"You could phone them," the Doctor suggests from behind me, finally deciding to show his face. "Tell them where you are."

"How do I do that?"

"Haven't you got a mobile?" the Doctor asks incredulously, looking at her like she's got three heads.

"You know, you're a right idiot sometimes," I inform him, digging into my jeans pocket and handing Donna a cell phone. She takes it from me, dialing a number.

"It went to voicemail!" she cries, frowning. "Mum, listen. I'm – oh, god! I don't know where I'm at! It's a street…and there's WH Smith…it's definitely Earth!"

The Doctor takes my hand suddenly, squeezing it gently. I look up at him in surprise. He's not even looking at me – he just reached out. My heart skips a beat. He needs to hold my hand as much as I need to hold his.

Then suddenly, Donna is shoving my mobile back in my face and I snap out of my thoughts. I take it back from her and stick it in my pocket.

"Who's this guy you're marrying anyway?" the Doctor asks.

"Lance," Donna says in a dreamy voice. I make a face. Angel smirks.

"Gotta like Lance," the Doctor mutters. Then Donna is back to her fiery, angry self.

"Oi! No stupid Martian is gonna keep me from being married! To hell with you!" she shouts, running off. "Taxi!"

Angel goes after her right away, and the Doctor starts running, pulling me along with him.

"I'm not from Mars!" he protests. I roll my eyes as we turn the corner. Donna is looking for an empty taxi. All of them appear to be clear of passengers, but they ignore her and continue driving past.

"Why aren't they stopping?" Angel asks, confused as Donna runs back and forth waving her arm madly.

"They think I'm in fancy dress!" Donna realizes. Another taxi goes by, honking his horn obnoxiously.

"Stay off the scotch, darling!"

"They think I'm drunk!"

"You're fooling no one, mate!" shouts another taxi driver.

"They think I'm in _drag!_"

Oh, poor Donna. She looks at me desperately.

"You! Do your whistle thing again! Get their attention!"

I nod, sticking my fingers in my mouth and whistle loudly. A taxi screeches to a stop in front of me, and I wave her over as I hop in pulling the Doctor in beside me. Angel opens the door on the other side, plopping down on my lap. Donna slides in next to the Doctor.

"Saint Mary's in Chiswick, off Hayden Road. It's an emergency, I'm getting married! Step on it!" The taxi driver takes off.

"You know it'll cost ya, sweetheart. Double rates today."

Donna swears, looking to us. "Have you got any money?"

I check my pockets, but they're empty. I shake my head regretfully. The Doctor does the same. Angel looks at us like we're crazy for even wondering if she's got some.

The taxi driver slams on the brakes, and my head goes flying forward and whacks on the seat. I groan, rubbing my forehead. The Doctor looks at me, concerned. I wave him off.

"Out!"

Donna lets loose a string of curses that shouldn't be repeated as she stumbles out of the car, the Doctor on her heels. Angel and I slip out the other side and the car takes off again.

"Talk about Christmas spirit," Donna mutters. We all look at her in surprise.

"Is it Christmas?" Angel asks excitedly. Donna makes a face, nodding.

"On Earth, at least."

"Let's to get some cash, so that doesn't happen again," the Doctor says, nodding in the direction of the taxi that drove away. I nod, scanning the streets for the nearest cash point, and tap on the Doctor's shoulder when I see it. He grabs my hand and pulls me off again, and I just barely have time to grab onto Angel's forearm and drag her along with us. The Doctor sonics the machine quickly, and I look around the street. Something catches my eye.

"Doctor!"

He looks up, wide eyed and worried.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Robot Santas!" I cry, pointing to a row of masked Santas playing the trumpet. They can't be more than a dozen yards away. He makes a confused face. "Don't you remember? When you regenerated?" His eyes widen.

"Wait a minute!" Angel exclaims worriedly. "Where did Donna go?"

I catch a glimpse of her red hair in the crowd and watch her get into a taxi.

"Donna!" I shout, but she doesn't hear me. My voice gets lost. I squint; trying to make out the form of her through the window and make sure it's her. Then my heart sinks when I realize that the taxi driver is one of the robots.

"Doctor, there's a robot driving that taxi," I say, turning to him, but his eyes are glued to the line of trumpet playing Santas. They lower their trumpets slowly.

"Doctor, they used them as guns," I warn him. He glances at me, looking unsure of what to do. I look around us for a moment, my eyes settling on the cash point. I pull out my sonic and scan it quickly.

Cash flies out of the machine, seemingly endless, and the people in the street run around in a rush trying to catch some money. I grab onto the Doctor and Angel and run back in the direction of the TARDIS.

**~DW~**

"Doctor, what do we do? We've got to get her out of there!" I cry once we finally get back inside the TARDIS.

"I do not understand what is going on right now!" Angel announces, gesturing uselessly. The Doctor pauses in his dance-like motions around the console to look at her.

"Long story short, robot Santas means not good. Robot Santas will kill you." Then he's off again, pulling levers and whacking the console with a hammer. The TARDIS sends sparks showering at him and he glares at the rotor.

"And the taxi Donna just got into was being driven by a robot Santa?'

"Yes," I reply.

"Thank you for the clarification," she says.

"Where are we going?" I ask. "We can't materialize in a taxi, the TARDIS is too big!"

"We're not materializing _in _the taxi, we're materializing _next to_ the taxi," the Doctor says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. The entire ship shudders, and I nearly lose my balance. I cling to a railing.

"On the road. While it's driving," Angel deadpans, staring at him. She has grabbed a hold of the edge of the console. He nods.

"We're going to fly along next to it."

"The TARDIS can do that?" she asks.

"Of course she can! She can do anything!"

The TARDIS hums happily. All the while, the room shakes and tilts back and forth.

"Quick! Rose, we're here," the Doctor says. I stare at him like he's nuts. Because he is.

"What am I supposed to do?" I shout.

"Open the door and get her!"

"What the…" I begin, but I trail off, shaking my head. "You are absolutely _mental!_" Nevertheless, I make my way to the door carefully, trying to stay upright, and finally make it to the door with a few bumps and soon-to-be bruises. I glance back at the Doctor, who nods encouragingly. Angel begins making her way toward me, but I shake my head.

"You stay put! No arguing!" She can hear the urgency in my voice, and nods reluctantly. I turn back to the door, opening it. Sure enough, I can make out Donna through the cab window, pounding on it and shouting for help. She stares at the TARDIS wide-eyed.

"Open the door!" I yell. She shakes her head.

"It's locked!" she mouths.

Holding the door open with one arm, I reach for my sonic in my pocket with the other and unlock the door.

"Come on! Open the door!"

She rolls down the window and I stare at her incredulously.

"Open. The. Door!"

"Why?!" she cries.

"You've got to jump!" I tell her, gesturing that she should get a move on.

"I'm not bleeding flip _jumping_!"

I sigh, glancing unsurely at the robot Santa who has turned his head slightly. I have no doubt he knows exactly what is going on. I look back at the Doctor, who watches me with questioning eyes. Then I turn my gaze to the street passing by quickly below the speeding TARDIS. I kick open the other door to the TARDIS, spread my wings, and jump. My feet connect loudly with the top of the taxi, denting the roof. I stick my head over the side with the open window to talk to Donna.

"Listen, Donna. You've got to come with me. That thing is going to _kill _you!"

"I'm not jumping on a motorway!"

"You don't have to! Take my arms!" I say, lying out on my stomach and sticking my arms over the side. "I'll pull you up."

"I'm in my wedding dress!"

"Yes, you look lovely! Let's go!"

"I can't do it," she says, her voice trembling with fear. I look her dead in the eye.

"Donna, you've got to trust me. You've got to trust Angel. You've got to trust the Doctor."

"Do you trust him?"

"With everything," I say with complete honesty. "I trust him more than anyone else in this universe. Even more than I trust myself."

She hesitates for a moment, but in a flash, throws the car door open and grabs my arms. I pull her out of the car and onto the roof, standing up. Then I sweep her into my arms bridal-style (oh the irony) and take off. The taxi and the TARDIS continue down the motorway while I hover in the air with Donna. Angel pokes her head out the TARDIS doors, alarmed, but relaxes when she sees us and shuts the doors. I make my way to the side of the road, taking in Donna's face with amusement. Her eyes are squeezed closed and she refuses to look down.

"Get me down! Get me down!" she squeals. I lower to the ground at the side of the motorway carefully, my feet falling steadily onto the grass. Then I put Donna upright on her feet.

"Oh god," she moans, bringing her hand to her forehead. I immediately take out my mobile and call the TARDIS, waiting for Angel to answer.

"We'll be right there," she says.

"Alright," I say. Sure enough, as I hang up the phone, the TARDIS materializes right in front of my eyes, smoke rising from the swirling light at the top. Angel is the first one racing out the doors, laughing giddily.

"Oh my gosh, Mum, that was so cool!" I give her a high five. Donna shakes her head at us. The Doctor comes bounding through the doors.

"Rose!" He rushes up to me, pulling me into a tight hug. "Don't _ever_ do that to me again," he breathes into my hair. "Bloody hell." He pulls back worriedly. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"

"I'm fine," I assure him, brushing my fingers through his hair to try and calm the madness. "Relax."

"I'm fine too, thanks for asking, space boy!" We all turn to look at Donna. My eyes catch the open TARDIS doors, with smoke pouring out of them.

"Oh my god, is the TARDIS alright?" I ask. The Doctor nods.

"For a spaceship, she doesn't do much flying. We'd better give her some time to settle down."

"Hey," Angel says, tugging on Donna's dress. "Are you alright?" Donna plops down on the grass, rubbing her face tiredly.

"It doesn't matter."

"Sure it does," Angel insists. "Did we miss it?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor says. "You could book another date…"

"Yeah," Donna sighs.

"Still have the honeymoon!" I point out. "That'll be nice."

"Just a holiday now," Donna says, plucking at the grass.

"Sorry," I apologize.

"Wish we had a time machine to go back and get it right," she mutters. The Doctor, Angel, and I exchange glances.

"Well, even if we did, I couldn't go back on someone's personal timeline. Apparently," the Doctor says. I give him a look and he shrugs sheepishly. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Donna shiver on the grass. I tuck in my wings quickly, unzipping my jacket, taking it off, and tossing it to her.

"Thanks," she mumbles. I nod, and then realize just how cold it is and shiver myself. The Doctor shrugs off his jacket and puts it around my shoulders. Angel wriggles her eyebrows suggestively and I blush, tugging the jacket tighter around me.

"Damn, Doctor. I never realized how skinny you were," I tease. The Doctor rolls his eyes.

"Oh! Donna! I have something for you…" he says, reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket to get something. He goes in elbow deep, searching for something. I raise my eyebrows. Angel starts chuckling to herself.

"What?' I ask cautiously, not sure I want to know the answer. The Doctor finally pulls whatever it is out of the jacket and looks at her curiously.

"You know, Doctor, next time you want to put your hands on her you could just ask," Angel giggles. Both of us turn bright red and even Donna cracks a smile at that. The Doctor brushes it off, kneeling in front of Donna and holding up a ring.

"Way to rub it in," she mumbles. The Doctor smiles apologetically.

"Sorry. But those creatures could trace you. This is a bio-damper, it should keep you hidden," he explains, sliding it on her finger. "With this ring, I thee bio-damp." I roll my eyes. Angel smirks again.

"When are you going to give Mum a 'bio-damper', Doctor?" she asks slyly, making quotes in the air. I roll my eyes. Not even in my dreams would the Doctor ever marry me – he doesn't do domestic. And am I even the marrying type? I wouldn't know. The Doctor turns even redder than before.

"Okay, so tell me," Donna says, "what exactly is the deal with the robot Santas?"

"They're basic robo-scavengers," the Doctor says casually, like that's something we see every day. Well, it is – but Donna probably just thinks he's crazier with every word that comes out of his mouth. "The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise, they're trying to blend in. Met them last Christmas."

"Kind of like the Flyboys?" Angel interrupts. I nod.

"Exactly."

"Wait, what's a Flyboy?" Donna asks. "Is that a type of alien?"

"Not quite. You know, the wings and everything? We were experimented on scientists. The Flyboys were other experiments. They were robots, but they had real skin stretched over the metal. It made them look like Erasers, another type of experiment with part wolf DNA. Not exactly nice, either of them," I say distastefully. The Doctor watches me carefully as I speak, and I know he's enjoying learning more about my past. He likes it when I bring up things about my life before him.

"Oh…" Donna says, nodding and pretending she understands what we're talking about. "Anyway, you said you met the robot Santas last Christmas – what happened then?"

"Great big spaceship hovering over London? You didn't notice?" the Doctor asks incredulously. Donna shakes her head, shrugging.

"Had a bit of a hangover."

"We spent Christmas at the Powell Estate, over that way," I tell her, pointing. "That's where my Mum liv…or…used to live." My face falls slightly and Angel looks at the ground sadly. I walk over to her and take her hand, and the Doctor comes to put his arm around me in comfort. He changes the subject quickly, knowing we don't want to talk about it.

"Question is, what do they want with you Donna? How did you get in the TARDIS?" he asks, pulling out his sonic. "What's your job?"

"I'm a secretary," she says.

"I mean, it's weird," he says, approaching her with the sonic and scanning her up and down. "You're not special, or powerful, or connected, or clever…"

"Thanks for the self esteem boost," Donna says sarcastically. "You're asking for another slap, you are."

"What kind of secretary?"

"I'm at HC Clements. That's where I met Lance. I was temping. It was all a bit posh…never thought I'd fit in there, honestly. Then he made me a coffee. That just doesn't happen – no one offers the secretary coffee," she says dreamily. Angel sticks out her tongue and pretends to barf, and Donna doesn't even notice. I bite my lip, trying not to laugh.

"I'm glad you and the Doctor aren't like that," Angel says, nudging me with her elbow. "I wouldn't be able to stand it."

Donna continues her story enthusiastically. "And Lance, he was the head of HR! He didn't need to bother with me! But he was nice, and funny. And he thought everyone else was snotty, just like I did. That's how it started – one cup of coffee."

"When was this?" the Doctor asks.

"Six months ago," Donna tells him.

"Six months?"Angel repeats disbelievingly, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head. "It took them a little over two _years_ to just kiss each other!" She motions to me and the Doctor.

"Well, Lance insisted on marrying me," Donna shrugged, but I can hear a false note in her voice. Something about that sentence is a lie, but I keep quiet as she continues. "He just kept nagging me until I finally gave in."

"What does the company do?" I ask, desperate to stop the lovey-dovey conversation. The Doctor smirks at the tone of my voice.

"Security systems, you know? Like I.D. cards and entry codes. Anyway, we should probably get a move on. No use putting it off, have to face it eventually. You can do the explaining, Martian-boy."

"I'm not from Mars," the Doctor whines. I reach out a hand to Donna to help her up, tugging her to her feet. We enter the TARDIS, which has stopped smoking.

"I had this big reception planned. Everyone will be heartbroken," Donna says sadly. She gives the Doctor the time and location and he enters coordinates. Angel shuts the doors carefully and smiles as she watches the Doctor pilot the TARDIS. I plop myself down in the captain's chair and hold on for dear life to keep from moving. It takes less than a second for the TARDIS to stop shaking, and Donna is out the door immediately. The rest of us run after her.

We walk into a large building. A deejay is playing Christmas music, and everyone is dancing and eating. Donna's jaw drops as she takes in the scene, and I feel a pang in my heart for her. I don't know much about weddings, but even I know that the bride should be at the wedding reception.

One by one, all the people in the room notice us standing there and the music gets shut off. Everyone stares silently at each other, and I start to feel uncomfortable under the gazes of all Donna's family. I was never one to be watched by a crowd.

"You had the reception without me?" Donna cries, sounding for the entire world like her heart is broken.

"Donna, what happened to ya?" asks a man, and from the way Donna looks at him, I can tell that it's Lance. She doesn't even answer his question, just repeats her own.

"You had the reception _without _me?"

The room is awkwardly silent for a moment.

"Hello! I'm the Doctor!" says the Doctor cheerfully. I jab him in the ribs with my elbow. Donna turns around to looks at us.

"They had the reception without me!"

"I can see that, thanks," I nod.

"It was all paid for, so why not?" says a skinny blonde woman that I instantly take a disliking to.

"Thank you, Nerys," Donna says, with absolute hatred in her tone.

"I got your silly little message," says a woman who I assume is Donna's mother. "'I'm on Earth!' Very funny! What the hell _happened_ to you, Donna?"

Suddenly, the whole room is talking at once, stepping closer toward Donna. Automatically, I reach out, grabbing the Doctor's arm with my right and Angel's shoulder with my left. I don't want to lose them in the crowd. A lot of people make me uneasy – it's a stupid fear, but there's always a nagging feeling that something could go wrong and I won't know where they are. It's kind of funny the way that I can fight off aliens, Erasers, and Flyboys with no problem but sometimes, humans are the terrifying ones.

Then I can hear sobbing over the noise of the crowd, and everyone quiets down. I see Donna crying hysterically, and Lance goes to hug her. Everyone applauds and the world is right again. Angel and I exchange looks.

_And the mutant freaks are the crazy ones,_ she says in my head. I nod.

_I was just thinking the same thing._

Then, over Lance's shoulder, Donna lifts her head and winks at us. I smile. She's devious, that one.

The reception continues as it had been before, but Donna has joined the many people on the dance floor. Angel got dragged out onto the floor by Donna – the two are getting along a little too well. Soon enough they'll be scheming together or something. The Doctor and I lean against the bar, watching the scene quietly. I tense up a little whenever I lose sight of Angel, but I always find her quickly. Her hair sticks out in the crowd.

"You alright?" the Doctor asks, sensing that something is bothering me.

"I just…don't like crowds. I'm not a partying kind of person," I admit. He smiles.

"It's going to be fine," he assures me. "Let Angel enjoy herself for a bit. It's been months since she's had fun like this. And you need to relax, too. I don't want…" He trails off, clearly hesitant to speak his mind.

"Don't want what?" I prod, looking at him curiously.

"Angel told me once, _really_ told me, about what it was like when Fang left the Flock. What _you_ were like, how broken you were…" he meets eyes with me, concern marking his features. "I don't want to see that happen to you again." I swallow thickly, turning my head and staring into the crowd. She told him about that.

"Not going to happen," I say, shaking my head.

"Are you _sure _you're alright, though, Rose? Promise?"

"Yes."

"If there's anything…"

"Doctor," I say, cutting him off. He silences immediately.

"Are you absolutely sure you're okay?"

"I'm going to be. There's a huge difference between what happened to me recently and what happened to me when I was fifteen."

"What's that?"

"I didn't have you back then," I admit quietly, my face flushing. The Doctor goes a bit red too, and I smirk a little.

"Can I have your mobile?" he asks, changing the subject. I take it out of my pocket and give it to him, looking over his shoulder to see what he's doing. He looks up the HC Clements business that Donna works for. Then he frowns at the screen. I squint closer, reading the small words.

_Sole Prop. – Torchwood._

"Of course it is. Of _course_ it's bloody Torchwood. We can't get enough of Torchwood, can we?" I mutter angrily.

"It's not the division of Torchwood your mother runs, she doesn't deal with business outside of alien investigations," the Doctor says. "She did say there were multiple branches…"

He's cut off by Angel jumping into his lap, starting both of us. She's slightly sweaty and her cheeks are red from all the dancing she's been doing, but there's a bright smile on her face and her blue eyes are shining. He catches her at the last second.

"Hey there, Angel," he smiles. She smiles back at him a bit deviously.

"What is it?" I ask, dreading the answer.

"You two need to dance."

"Oh? Is that all?" I ask. "I don't have a problem with tha…" But I trail off as I look out onto the dance floor, realizing there's a slow song playing and couples are dancing together. I look back at the Doctor, and his wide eyes mirror my own.

"Go on," Angel says, hopping off the Doctor's lap and crossing her arms. "Dance."

"Angel, no," I say, but she stomps her foot.

"Both of you go dance or I won't speak to either of you for a week!"

The Doctor and I sigh, and he grabs my hand and pulls me out onto the floor. I wrap my arms around his neck and his hands settle on my waist. I blush slightly, grinning at him.

"So, have you still got the moves this regeneration?" I tease. He smiles widely.

"You'd better believe it, Rose Tyler!"

He spins me in a circle and I laugh. Then we rock back and forth contently, staying in the same place while we slowly spin around.

"Angel loves this way too much," I say, shaking my head. The Doctor smiles.

"Let her. She's happy," he says. I swallow nervously.

"Are you happy?" I ask hesitantly. He looks at me in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean – us. Are you happy about this? You talk about how much it's going to hurt when I'm dead and gone, and if this is going to make it worse…"

"Stop," he says lowly. "Of course I'm happy, Rose. This – us – this is…one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I don't want to think about that right now. Yeah, it'll hurt one day, but you're worth it."

I feel butterflies deep inside.

"Really?"

"Really," he says. We've stopped rocking at this point, just standing still in one position. He leans in slowly, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. I try my best to let him know how I feel without the words. I don't know if either of us will ever be able to say them out loud, but this might just be enough.

He pulls back, leaning his forehead against mine and smiling softly at me. I grin at him, and both of us are startled as a new, more upbeat song begins to play. He takes my hand, lacing his fingers with mine and leads me back to the bar. The smile on Angel's face is absolutely ridiculous, and she wriggles her eyebrows.

_Stop it!_ I say.

_Never._

Then the Doctor is suddenly yanking me off in a new direction, toward a wedding photographer that's filming all the dancing.

"Do you have the tape of the ceremony?" the Doctor asks him. The guy nods.

"Oh, hell, I do. Everyone keeps telling me, 'Sell it to _You've Been Framed!_' I keep saying 'More like the news.'"

"Could we see it?"

"Sure," he says, popping a new tape into the camera. On the tiny screen, we watch Donna scream and disappear into golden dust. I raise my eyebrows. They look familiar, the particles…I just can't put my finger on it.

"Can't be!" the Doctor says. "Play it again!"

"Clever, it was. Great trick. I was clapping," the camera man says, rewinding the tape and playing it again.

"That looks like Huon particles!" the Doctor exclaims.

"What's that?" Angel asks, coming up to stand next to me. She stands on her tiptoes to look at the camera, her interest piqued.

"That's…that's _ancient!_" the Doctor says. "That type of energy is billions of years old!"

"That's actually pretty cool," Angel says. The Doctor's face tells me otherwise.

"So old…that it can't be hidden by a biodamper," he realizes.

"Shit," I swear, rushing to the window. The robot Santas are outside, slowly making their way toward the building. I turn around and the Doctor and Angel are staring at me with questioning eyes. I nod, frowning worriedly. The Doctor hurries over to Donna, where she's dancing with her mother. The look on her face would've been hilarious if the circumstances weren't so dire. I meet up with Angel and the Doctor waves us toward the back door. Before we even have time to get there, he and Donna are rushing back, shaking their heads. We're surrounded.

"Well, Ange, I know it's been a while, but I hope you've been keeping your fighting skills up to par," I mutter. She smiles, almost evilly.

"Let's kick some Santa ass," she says.

"Everyone! Hurry! Get away from the trees!" the Doctor shouts. Donna joins in quickly, and I recall the Christmas tree that nearly killed me, Mum, and Mickey last year before the Doctor woke up and saved us. My eyes flicker to the trees, where the ornaments have started floating around the room. Everyone looks at them in wonder until they start dive-bombing around the room. People run for cover, hiding under tables. Donna drags Lance behind the bar with her. Robot Santas start spilling into the room, and Angel and I spread our wings and rise slowly. The Santas start shooting rays around their room from the trumpets, and we dodge them as we come closer. The party guests are screaming and shouting, and I can barely hear myself think.

I sneak up behind one, kicking it in the back of the neck. Its head flies off much easier than I expected. I look up at Angel, and we meet eyes.

"Go for the neck!" I shout. She nods.

The Doctor runs over to the deejay's station, speaking into the microphone.

"Santa! Word of advice when attacking a man with a sonic screwdriver! Don't let him near the sound system!"

He holds his sonic against an amp, emitting a high pitched sound that practically makes my ears bleed. I cover them quickly, watching Angel do the same. We stare on as the Santas vibrate and fall to pieces below us.

The Doctor immediately rushes to one of the broken Santas, examining the parts.

"There are remotes for the robots," the Doctor says as Angel and I land beside him. "They aren't scavengers anymore, someone's got control of them." He pauses, looking up at us. "And there's a signal!"

Donna comes rushing over to us just as the Doctor and Angel are off, him using the sonic to trace the signal.

"Help," she says. "He's a doctor, people are hurt."

"Sorry, Donna, but if we don't stop this as soon as possible, more people are going to get hurt," I explain quickly. I start to go after them, but as I'm leaving, a sudden instinct tells me to turn around. Donna is important in all of this.

"We could use _your _help, actually," I say. "I don't know why, but those things are after you."

Donna looks conflicted for a moment, glancing back at her family before turning back to me and nodding.

"Let's go," she says. I hold out my hand, and she takes it, coming outside with me. The Doctor has his sonic screwdriver held high in the air.

"Something in the sky," he says, and Angel nods. They notice me and Donna.

"There you are!" the Doctor says. "Donna, we need to get to your office. HC Clements, I think that's where it all started. Lance – can he give us a lift?"

**~DW~**

It doesn't take long to get to HC Clements; it's only about ten minutes away. Donna and Lance lead us up a few flights of stairs to Donna's office.

"You say this place is just a locksmiths?" the Doctor asks. Lance nods.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because," I answer, watching the Doctor completely absorbed in the computer on Donna's desk. "It was brought up by torchwood twenty three years ago."

"Who are they?" Donna asks.

"They were behind the Battle of Canary Wharf," Angel tells her, crossing her arms with an edge in her tone. Donna stares at her blankly. I continue, raising my eyebrows.

"Cyberman invasion." Nothing. "Skies over London full of Daleks?"

"Oh, I was in Spain," Donna says.

"There were Cybermen in Spain," Angel says incredulously. I shake my head. Donna is more clueless than I realized.

"Torchwood got destroyed, but someone else came in and took over HC Clements," the Doctor says.

"Not Dr. M, though?" Angel asks. The Doctor shakes his head.

"Like I told Rose earlier, there are different branches of Torchwood. She probably isn't even aware that HC Clements had any connection to Torchwood."

"But what do they want with me?" Donna interrupts.

"Somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy, and that's a problem, because that type of energy hasn't existed since the dark times. The only place you could ever find Huon particles anymore is the heart of the TARDIS. See?" the Doctor explains, picking up a mug and a pencil. "That's you." He waves the pencil around. "This is the TARDIS." He holds up the mug. "The particles inside you activated, the two sets of particles magnetized, and wham! You get sucked into the TARDIS."

"I'm a pencil in a mug?" Donna summarizes.

"Yes you are," the Doctor says, looking slightly mad.

"Hold on. You said this energy is in the heart of the TARDIS. If I looked into the heart of the TARDIS, does that mean I've been exposed to it too?" I ask.

"I don't know-"

"Don't lie to me," I say darkly. He frowns, looking at me worriedly.

"Yes."

"Am I going to be okay?"

"I don't know," he says again, but this time, with concerned honesty. Angel looks scared.

"No…" she says, barely loud enough to hear. "You've got to be okay. I can't lose you too, not after…" Her voice cracks.

"I'm not going to let that happen, Angel," the Doctor says determinedly. He looks at Lance. "What was HC Clements working on? Anything Top Secret, Do Not Enter?"

"I don't know!" Lance cries. "I'm in charge of personnel, I wasn't project manager!"

The Doctor turns back to the computer, sonicing it to get to the screen he wants faster.

"They make keys," the Doctor mutters to himself. "We're on the third floor…there we go!" He stands up and we all look at him expectantly.

"To the lift," the Doctor says. Donna leads the way out of the maze of cubicles and down the corridor. The Doctor slams on the lift buttons unnecessarily hard. I roll my eyes. The doors open almost immediately, because there's no one around that's using it. The Doctor gestures at the buttons.

"You look at these buttons and there's an entire floor that's not on the plans – the lower basement. So what's down there?" he asks, but we all know it's rhetorical when he jabs the button and it lights up.

"You're telling me there's a secret floor to the building?" Angel asks, frowning.

"I'm showing you," the Doctor corrects. I roll my eyes and step in the elevator beside him. Angel follows reluctantly.

"This feels like we're walking into a trap," she says.

"It needs a key," Donna points out, pointing at the button. The Doctor raises an eyebrow.

"I don't." He looks at me pointedly and I sonic the panel of buttons.

"I think we can take this from here," the Doctor says. "I'll see you."

"Not going to happen. You keep saving my life, I'm not letting you out of my sight," Donna says, crossing her arms and stepping into the lift. She glares at Lance and he follows. The space is awkwardly silent as the doors close and we're going down.

**~DW~**

When we get down to the dark basement, lit only by a green light, our new form of transport is electric scooters. Angel giggles, nearly crashing into everything. The Doctor and I burst out laughing, and eventually Donna joins in, but Lance appears to be too nervous to get the joke.

When we reach a door labeled "TORCHWOOD – AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY", the Doctor is naturally the first one off the scooter and opening the door. He glances upward, then back at the rest of us.

"Don't go anywhere. I need a minute to check what's up there."

He starts up the ladder, and I tap my foot impatiently. Soon enough, he's back.

"Thames flood barrier! Right on top of us. Torchwood snuck in and built this place underneath."

"So there's a hidden secret base underneath a major London landmark?" Donna simplifies, and the Doctor nods, already going off in a new direction through another door. Donna and Lance go after him, and Angel heads through the door, only to freeze in place and come running right back out. Her face is pale and she's shaking slightly.

"Ange? What's wrong?" I ask quickly, my eyes widening. I look through the door over her shoulder and catch a glimpse of a lab filled with bubbling test tubes and equipment. All sorts of different liquid fills vials and tubes run from one solution to another. Some are stored on shelves, and others are being heated by Bunsen burners. I suddenly feel slightly sick, because I've seen that same exact setup somewhere else – a lifetime ago, in a completely different country.

At the School. Angel grips my arm tightly. The Doctor, Donna, and Lance continue on obliviously.

"This can't be Torchwood…" Angel says, her voice shaking. My heart breaks at the sound of it. "This…it looks like…"

"I know," I say, cutting her off. "It looks like it, but it's not. It can't be."

The Doctor pokes his head out of the room, finally noticing we haven't come along. He frowns at the looks on our faces.

"What's wrong?" he asks immediately.

"It just…it looks like the School in there. One of the labs," I say thickly. He comes to stand in front of me, looking back and forth between me and Angel.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. There's no one in there, you're safe," he says quietly. Angel nods quickly, still looking a bit put off. She reaches for his hand, and he meets her halfway. His other arm settles around my waits, gently nudging me in the direction of the door. I sigh, closing my eyes, and force myself to walk forward.

"What is all this stuff?" Donna is asking. I open my eyes and look around again.

"Particle extrusion," the Doctor says. "They've been manufacturing Huon particles. My people got rid of Huons, they unraveled the atomic structure."

"Your people? Who do you work for?" Lance asks.

"But of a freelancer," the Doctor says. "But this lot is rebuilding them; they've been using the river. Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base so they've got the end result – Huon particles in liquid form."

"That's what's inside me?" Donna asks as the Doctor picks up a test tube filled with golden liquid. He turns the cork gently, and the bottle lights up. Donna starts glowing, and I gasp, but then Angel is gasping too, and she's not looking at Donna, she's looking at me. I look down at my hands, which are also glowing golden. It's not as prominent as Donna, but it's still there. I'm still glowing.

"The particles are inert, so they need something living to catalyze inside and that's you," the Doctor continues as if nothing ever happened. His eyes widen as he realizes something. "The wedding! Yes! You're getting married, best day of your life, walking down the aisle, your body's a battleground! A chemical war inside! Adrenaline, acetylcholine, there go the endorphins, oh you're cooking! The particles reach a boiling point and _shazam!_"

The Doctor gets cut off by Donna with a slap in the face.

"What did I do this time?"

"Are you enjoying this?" Donna scowls. The Doctor calms himself down a bit. "Just tell me, are these particles dangerous? Because it looks like both me _and_ Rose are in the same boat – are we safe?"

"Yes," the Doctor says, but not convincingly. Angel frowns.

"Doctor, if the Time Lords got rid of Huon particles, why did they do that?"

His shoulders slump. "Because they were deadly."

The information is like a slap in the face. Donna starts freaking out and Angel is looking at me like she's about to cry. I just feel blank – what are you supposed to feel when you find out you might die?

"I'm going to sort this out," the Doctor says. "Whatever's been done to you, Donna, I swear." He turns to me, his gaze burning. "And I'm not about to lose you, Rose."

"Oh she is long since lost," says a loud female voice. We all jump, looking around the room for the source of the voice. We aren't' scrambling for long, because one of the walls slides up into the ceiling. A new section of the room is revealed, with a huge hole in the floor. There is no one to be seen.

"I have waited so long, hibernating at the edge of the universe, until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken!"

Scanning around the rest of the room with a calm façade, I not the lines of armed Santa robots along the walls. I register Lance bolting from behind me, back through the door we came. The Doctor peers into the gaping hole in the floor, his hands shoved into his pockets casually.

"Someone's been digging. Very Torchwood. How far down does it go?"

"All the way to the centre of the Earth," the voice hisses.

"Dinosaurs," Donna says suddenly.

"What?" the Doctor asks, confused.

"That film, under the Earth, with the dinosaurs. Trying to help!"

I smirk, biting my tongue to hold back an inappropriate laugh.

"Now," the Doctor says. "Only a madman talks to thin air, and you don't want to make me mad. Where are you?"

"High in the sky on Christmas Night," says the voice. The Doctor rolls his eyes.

"I didn't come all this way to talk to no one! Let's have a look at you!"

"Who are you to command me?"

"I'm the Doctor."

"Prepare your best medicines, doctor-man, because you will be sick at heart."

There's a loud _whoosh_, and suddenly there's a giant red spider standing before us. I subconsciously take a step back. The Doctor's eyes widen.

"A Racnoss! That's impossible!"

"I really don't think you know what that word means, Doctor!" Angel says shrilly.

"Empress of the Racnoss," corrects the spider.

"If you're the Empress, where is everyone else?" I ask. She frowns – or at least, that's what it looks like. I've never seen a spider frown before.

"You're the only one," the Doctor answers for her. "You're the last of your kind."

"Such a sharp mind."

The Doctor turns to me, Angel, and Donna.

"The Racnoss come from the Dark Times, billions of years ago. They devoured whole planets."

"It is not the fault of the Racnoss that we are born starving."

"Donna?" the Doctor asks. "Did HC Clements wear black and white shoes?"

"Yes! We used to laugh, call him the fat cat in the spats…" she trails off, going silent as she follow the Doctor's gaze to the giant spider web on the ceiling. A human form is wrapped in the white fibers, a pair of black and white shoes barely visible.

"My Christmas dinner," says the Racnoss.

"You shouldn't even exist," the Doctor says. "The Racnoss are extinct, they were wiped out."

"Clearly, they weren't," I mutter. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see a figure approaching the Racnoss from behind on a balcony. It's Lance.

"Hey!" Donna shouts angrily. "What do I have to do with this? Look at me, I'm talking! Where do I fit in? Why am I filled with all those Huon particle thingies?"

"The bride is so feisty," the Racnoss says, looking at Donna and shaking her head like she's a child having a tantrum. I can see Lance pick up an emergency axe. He starts to bring it down on the Racnoss' neck.

Then she turns around and hisses at him viciously. Lance freezes where he is.

Then they start to laugh. My heart sinks and I look at Donna sympathetically. She just looks confused.

"Lance? What – what are you doing?"

"I'm so sorry," the Doctor says quietly.

"Sorry? What for? Lance, stop being so stupid, get her!"

"God, she's so thick," Lance says, shaking his head. "Months I put up with you, months. A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map."

"I don't understand…"

"Donna," I say softly. "How did you meet him?"

"In the office!"

"He brought you coffee," the Doctor says.

"Every day, I made you coffee," Lance adds, smiling wickedly. I glare at him, sickened.

"You were doused with liquid Huon particles over six months," the Doctor finished. Donna looks heartbroken.

"He was poisoning me?"

"I'm sorry, Donna," Angel says, placing a hand on her arm. She brushes it off, her eyes full of unshed tears.

"We were getting married!" she cries.

"Couldn't risk you running off, now could I? Then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the highest excitement is a new Pringle flavor. Listen to all that yapping about celebrity gossip – never ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia! I deserve a medal!"

"Yeah, for being an asshole," I spit. "Why would you do something like that? What are you getting from her?" I gesture at the Racnoss. He doesn't answer, just scowls at me.

"But I love you," Donna says, and my heart breaks for her. Poor, poor Donna. She doesn't deserve any of this.

"That's what made it easy. What's the point of it all, in the long run? The Human Race is nothing! The Empress can give me the chance to get out there and see it all! I think you can understand that, can't you?" Lance retorts, his eyes falling on me and the Doctor.

"Who is this little physician?" the Empress asks Lance.

"Martian."

"Actually, I'm sort of homeless," the Doctor shrugs. "But the point is what's down here? What's going to help you in the center of the Earth?"

"He wants us to talk," Lance smirks, like it's the funniest thing in the world. The Doctor stares blankly at them, not conveying any sort of emotion.

"The only one we need is the bride. Kill the rest of them," the Empress says.

I grab Angel quickly by the arm, pulling her behind me. The Doctor's eyes are dark as he stares at the Racnoss.

"Well you see, that would be lovely and all, but I've got places to be and things to see. And I would like to point out – the particles activated in Donna and brought her to my spaceship. If it's reversed…the spaceship comes to her."

He shakes the test tube filled with Huon particles that had been in his jacket. Donna starts glowing, and so do I and we watch the TARDIS materialize around us. I can hear the sound of the robot Santas firing at the TARDIS unsuccessfully.

"Off we go!" the Doctor says quickly, yanking on the lever that sends the TARDIS spinning off into the Vortex.

"Where are we going?" Angel asks.

The Doctor looks at Donna. "You know how we were talking about time machines before? Well, this _is_ a time machine, and now we're going to use it. Going to the beginning of the Earth – to see what's inside the core."

He becomes absorbed in the console, not noticing the tears streaming down Donna's cheeks. I walk over to her, placing an arm on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," I say softly. She shakes her head.

"I just thought…"

"I know. You don't have to explain," I say, pulling her in for a hug. She cries into my shoulder, sniffling. Angel looks on sadly at us from behind Donna.

The TARDIS silences, calming down after the ride.

"We've arrived," the Doctor says. "If you want to see."

I pull back from Donna, looking her in the eye.

"You know, things like this really are cool. You should check it out."

"I suppose," she sighs, wiping her eyes. The Doctor approaches the door, grabbing the handle and waiting for us. Angel bounds over to him anxiously, excited to see what's out there.

"No humans have ever seen this. You'll be the first," he says, a familiar gleam in his eye. "The creation of the Earth."

He opens the door slowly. Colored dust floats around in open space, along with huge rock chunks.

The Doctor puts an arm around my waist and murmurs in my ear.

"Now you've seen the creation _and _the end of the planet," he says. I smile, shaking my head.

"It's beautiful."

"We've gone back billions of years, there's not even a solar system yet. That's the Sun over there, it's brand new." He points at a star.

"Lance was right. We're nothing. Just…tiny." We all glance at Donna.

"That's what you do though, the Human Race. Make sense of it all. You're brilliant, the lot of you."

"Doctor, look," Angel says suddenly, pointing at a star-shaped rock that whizzes by us.

"The Racnoss," the Doctor says. "That was the first rock!"

Suddenly the TARDIS begins to shudder and tremble, and we're all thrown to the ground. I slam the door shut quickly so none of us fall into open space.

"What the hell?" Donna yells.

"Remember that trick I did? It works the other way round! They're pulling us back!"

"Can't you do something?" Angel shouts. The Doctor reaches under the console and grabs a device.

"Extrapolator! I can't stop it, but I can give us a bump!"

When the TARDIS materializes, the Doctor rushes out of the TARDIS.

"Come on," he shouts. We race outside after him. "We're about two hundred yards to the right!" He grabs my hand with one of his and Angel with the other. With my free arm, I take a hold of Donna, and we all run. We stop at the door with the ladder that leads to the Thames flood barrier.

"What do we do?" Angel asks, crowding into the small space with the Doctor. Donna and I strain to look over their shoulders to see what's going on. The Doctor has a stethoscope out and held up to the door.

Then there's a sharp pain in the back of my neck and everything goes dark.

**~DW~ ANGEL'S POV**

The Doctor rambles on, and I don't understand a word he's saying. I turn back to look at Mum for a translation for the techno babble, but she's not there. Neither is Donna. My heart sinks.

"Doctor!" I cry. He looks up at me worriedly.

"What's the matter?"

"They're gone!"

He turns around completely, his eyes widening.

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know!"

A robot Santa approaches from down the corridor. The Doctor holds up his sonic immediately, the blue light flashing and buzzing, but nothing happens.

"They've created a defense system against the sonic!" he says, sounding upset. The robot comes closer with every second. I remember what happened earlier.

_Go for the back of the neck!_ says Mum's voice in the back of my mind. I spread my wings and lift into the air, flying as fast as I can toward the robot. It shoots at me, but I dodge the rays. The Doctor shouts after me, but I ignore him. I shoot right over the robot's head, and before it has time to turn around, kick it swiftly in the back of the neck. Its head rolls off, plopping to the ground.

The Doctor runs up to me.

"Don't do that! Your mother would kill me if that thing shot you!"

"We would both be dead right now if I hadn't just done that. You're welcome!" I cry. He reaches down and takes the Santa mask off the robot.

"Don't tell me you're going to dress up in that costume and pretend to be a robot," I groan.

"Have you got a better idea?"

**~DW~**

I sneak into the room with the Racnoss and her web, as silently as I can, and hide behind one of the tables stacked with lab equipment so I can't be seen. Across the room, I can see the Doctor walking into the room, wearing the Santa cloak and mask. I can see Mum and Donna stuck inside the spider web. Donna is struggling against the web, but Mum is completely still. My heart picks up nervously. She can't be dead.

I reach out with my mind, and sigh with relief when I can sense her presence. She's only unconscious.

"You might as well take off your disguise, little doctor-man," the Racnoss says. The Doctor rips off the mask and cloak.

"Oh well, it was a nice try. I've got you Donna!" he says cheerfully, scanning the web with his sonic. I can see it loosen around her, and she clings to it for dear life, staring down into the hole in the Earth with wide eyes.

"I'm going to fall!"

"No! You're going to swing!" the Doctor corrects. Donna looks at him like he's mad, but shakes her head and lets go of the web, only holding onto a string. She swings over to the Doctor, almost like Tarzan. He's too busy glancing worriedly up at Mum to catch her and prevent her from crashing into the concrete wall. He meets eyes with me. Hesitantly, I reach out to him with my mind. I've never done something like this with the Doctor before – tried to communicate with him telepathically. His mental barriers are stronger than any I've ever seen, but once he realizes it's me, he lets me in.

_I can go get her_, I say, gesturing to my spread wings. _You know it's the only way to get her down safely._

_ Be careful,_ he warns. _I'll distract her._ I nod, creeping around the table while he rambles on to the Racnoss.

"Empress of the Racnoss, I give you one last chance. I can find you a planet, a place in the universe to coexist. Take my offer and end things now."

I take off, careful to avoid the gaze of the Racnoss, which isn't hard because she's turned toward the Doctor. I reach Mum, yanking at the strings of the web and trying to free her, but they only get tighter. I give her a light slap on the face, trying to wake her up, but it's useless. She's out cold. I look her up and down, spotting a gap in the web cocoon she's trapped in – right near her pocket.

Carefully, I dig my hand inside to find the pocket knife that I know she always carries inside her jacket. I flip it open and start sawing away at the string, registering the Doctor and Racnoss conversing in the background. With a quick glance below me, I can see the Racnoss' bay spiders making their way up the tunneling hole.

"What's your answer?" the Doctor asks, and even without looking at him, I can tell his arms are crossed.

"I'm afraid I have to decline," says the Racnoss. The piece of web that I cut through causes all the others to loosen. I grab Mum under the arms, lifting her. She's easy to carry – superior biology comes in handy. I flutter back down to the ground quickly, still not seen by the Racnoss. Without making too much noise, I drag Mum's body back to the hiding spot I had originally been in.

"What happens next is your own doing," the Doctor tells the Racnoss warningly. Looking at him now, I can see how much more relaxed he is now that Mum is safe. I'm not one to squeal, but it's absolutely adorable how protective he is of her. He reaches into his pockets and produced some of the Christmas ornaments from the trees that nearly killed us earlier, throwing them into the air. The Racnoss screeches with anger as the smash holes into the walls, causing the Thames to leak into the room. Water blasts through the holes, and water starts to build up around the room. A lot of it flows down the gaping hole in the ground, flushing the baby spiders back to the center of the Earth.

"Doctor!" Donna shouts. "You can stop now!"

I look concernedly at the Doctor. Even from across the room I can see the anger and pain in his eyes as he watches the Racnoss wailing. I've never seen him like this – Mum told me he could be scary sometimes, when he got angry, but I never expected something like this. I'm reminded of Mum, when Fang left the Flock. The blank look in his eyes, filled with sorrow and anger - it needs to stop. A lump in my throat is already forming as I try to shake the memories away. I need to get Mum out of here; this isn't the time to be emotional.

"Doctor!" I yell. He doesn't acknowledge me. I take a deep breath and try again. "Doctor, stop it!" Still nothing.

"Daddy, please!" I shout, and then clamp my hand over my mouth when I realize what I said. I've been thinking of the Doctor as my Dad for a long time, but I never thought I would actually _say_ it to him. Nevertheless, he snaps out of his scary mood, grabs Donna by the hand, and races down the stairs across the room to me. He picks Mum up in one swift move, hefting her over his shoulder, grabbing my hand, and running back in the direction of the TARDIS. Donna is right on our tails.

"What about the Racnoss?" Donna asks breathlessly.

"She's used up all her Huon energy, she's defenseless!" the Doctor answers, unlocking the door to the TARDIS with one arm while supporting Mum with the other. I step in and do it for him. "The armed forces will shoot her down in no time."

He places Mum gently on the captain's chair and moves the TARDIS quickly – the ride lasts barely thirty seconds. He pops his head out the door, and Donna follows him eagerly.

"We drained the Thames," she says, laughing. My jaw drops.

"We _what?_"

The Doctor collapses into laughter, Donna joining him. Mum groans and opens her eyes.

"You couldn't have woken up a few minutes earlier? We had to drag you all the way back to the TARDIS!" I exclaim, but hug her tightly immediately. The Doctor beams at her.

"Feeling alright?"

Mum rubs her neck, blinking to clear her eyes.

"Yeah. How long was I out?"

"Long enough for us to defeat the Racnoss."

"Aw, I missed it?"

"There will be other times," I laugh, patting her on the shoulder.

"Well, what do you say, Donna Noble? Time to take you home?" the Doctor asks. She nods, closing the door.


	38. Christmas

**A/N: Personally, I'm not really happy with this chapter. I rewrote it six times and everything just feels kind of awkward to me…but I hope you like it anyway. **

**~DW~**

The Doctor lands the TARDIS in front of Donna's house. She steps outside, looking conflicted. She stares at her house, turns her gaze back to the TARDIS, and sighs.

"So, am I okay now?" she asks. The Doctor gives her a quick scan with the sonic screwdriver.

"Huon particles are all gone," he says cheerfully. "You're fine."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. I missed my wedding, lost my job, and became a widow all in the same day. Sort of."

"I'm so sorry, Donna," I say sympathetically. "I understand what it's like to be betrayed by someone you love. It's not fun."

"I couldn't save him," the Doctor says, looking a bit guilty. "I am sorry about that."

"He deserved it," Donna snaps, but she regrets it almost immediately. "No. No he didn't." She looks back toward her house. "I should probably go…they'll be worried."

"Have a nice Christmas…wait, I forgot. You hate Christmas," the Doctor says.

"Yes, I do," Donna says, smiling a bit. The Doctor raises an eyebrow, grinning at her and pointing his sonic in the air.

"Even if it snows?"

Angel and I watch in awe as a ball of light shoots from the top of the TARDIS, exploding gin the sky. Snow falls to the ground softly. Angel laughs, clapping her hands.

"That's brilliant!"

"I can't believe you did that!" Donna cries, her expression torn between amazed and shocked.

"Basic atmospheric excitation," the Doctor shrugs, trying to sound impressive. I roll my eyes.

"You think you're so great."

"I am so great!"

"Stop it, you two!" Donna says. We look at her sheepishly. "Well, Merry Christmas."

"Same to you," I say.

"What are you going to do now?" the Doctor asks. She shrugs.

"Not getting married. And I'm certainly not going to be a temp anymore. I want to travel, see a bit more of the planet. Go out there and do something."

Angel and I look at the Doctor expectantly. He glances back and forth between us, smiling.

"You could always…come with us."

"I…I can't. I'm sorry," Donna says softly, smiling. "I mean…everything that happened today, you live your life that way, and I couldn't. It was beautiful, but terrible at the same time. And you made it snow – you scare me to death!"

"Well then," the Doctor says, clearly disappointed. Part of me is, too – Donna would have been a great friend.

"I'm sorry," she says. "But, you know, you can stay for Christmas dinner, at least."

"I don't know," the Doctor says. "We've got our own Christmas dinner to go to. I think Sarah Jane will be waiting."

Angel smiles apologetically. "Sorry, Donna. I wish we could stay…"

"That's alright. Go on, have fun," she says with a laugh, waving her off. Angel gives her a quick hug and skips into the TARDIS.

"Thanks for everything," she calls over her shoulder. The Doctor gives a small nod and follows her inside. I move to go after him, but Donna stops me.

"Hold on. Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't ever leave him, alright? I think he needs someone, sometimes. To keep him from going mad."

"I think I need him more than he needs me," I say with a weak laugh.

"You need each other. That much is obvious. Something like that – what you have, whatever it is – it's rare. Hold on tight, and don't let go, no matter how rough things get. I realize now, looking back, that Lance never really loved me. But I can see it in his eyes, clear as day. You mean a lot to him, and he means a lot to you. Take advantage of that."

"I…thank you, Donna," I nod. "I really am sorry about everything you lost today."

"I'm sorry about yours, too. Your mother."

"Yeah. You do me a favor, too. Just…tell everyone in your family you love them. I wish I could do that more often. You never realize what you've got until it's gone."

She holds out her arms and I give her a hug, looking over her shoulder at her house. I can see people laughing and smiling inside, one woman hugging another. I tear my eyes away quickly. Wishful thinking isn't going to do me any good.

"Thank you, Donna Noble." She nods, pulling back.

"And to you."

With that, I turn around and step into the TARDIS, not daring to look back.

**~DW~ ANGEL'S POV**

Mum stays outside, talking to Donna for another moment, and I decide to get it over with. I plop down in the captain's chair, exhaling slowly, and watch the Doctor carefully. He's absorbed in the console.

"Doctor?"

"Yes, Angel?"

"I'm sorry. About earlier. I didn't mean to call you…" I trail off, coughing awkwardly, my cheeks flushing. "It just sort of slipped. I mean, since you and Mum got together and all, I sort of started thinking of you like that. Oh, who am I kidding? I don't even know when it started, but it was ages before any of this. It's just, I've never had a dad before, you know? But you've always been there, since the minute I met you, and I just…"

"Angel," he says abruptly, but his tone is gentle. I blush even redder when I realize I had been rambling. I never meant to tell him any of that. All I've done is make everything worse.

"Sorry," I apologize again, running my hand down my face, frustrated. "Just ignore all of that. Can we move on and pretend none of this ever happened?"

"Angel, listen to me," he says, coming to stand in front of me. He leans down to meet my height I look up at him, fiddling with my hair nervously.

"I'm listening."

"It's okay. Really, it is. I don't mind. I haven't been a father in a long time, but I must be doing something right. Honestly, I'm honored that you would ever even consider me as such an important person in your life."

"Wait a minute, do you mean...I can call you 'Dad?'" I ask hurriedly. "That's alright?"

"If you want." He smiles at me softly as my jaw drops. I beam at him, throwing my arms around his neck.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I say happily. I jump up and down in my seat excitedly.

"Did I miss something?" I hear. We both turn around and look at Mum, who stands at the TARDIS doors with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised. I can't contain my smile.

"He said I can call him Dad!"

She looks at the Doctor, surprised, but smiling. He just smiles back at her.

Then it hits me - I have a _family_ for the first time in a long time. An actual, proper family. With a mum and a dad, something I'd never had before. I have something I can call my own.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" the Doctor asks. "Sarah Jane is waiting!"

**~DW~ ROSE'S POV**

The ride to Sarah Jane's is quick, and Angel is out the door immediately, extremely excited to see them. It's been almost three months since our last visit. We didn't take very many trips while the Doctor was searching for a way to say goodbye to Mum. Angel and I spent most of our time together, learning how to cope.

The Doctor moves to follow after her, but I grab his arm quickly.

"Thank you," I say softly, kissing him on the cheek shyly.

"For what?" he asks, completely oblivious.

"You have no idea how much this means to Angel. She's finally got the family she deserves, she's finally _happy_."

"It works both ways," the Doctor says simply, taking my hand and lacing our fingers together. I sigh happily as we walk through the TARDIS doors together.

"So guess what?" Angel is saying, jumping up and down in front of Luke and Sarah Jane.

"What is it?" Luke asks excitedly. Sarah Jane smiles and waves, noticing us. Angel beams at us.

"They're _together_ now!"

Sarah Jane gasps, brightening the room with her smile.

"It's about time!"

"Is that all?" Luke asks, disappointed.

The Doctor and I roll our eyes. Total trots up to me.

"The infamous Maximum Ride has finally got herself a boyfriend," he says, offering me his stupid little dog smirk. I nearly kick him.

"Shut up," I say. "The nerve of you, honestly."

"That's wonderful, though," Sarah Jane says, hugging both of us. "You do know it's Christmas, right?"

"Yes," the Doctor laughs. "That's why we're here."

"Well, I never know with you, do I? Might I remind you of the time…?"

"That's alright. My driving skills really do not need to be insulted anymore than they already are," the Doctor pouts. I pat him on the head.

"Aw, are the Doctor's feelings hurt?" I tease. But his eyebrows are raised. I follow his gaze to Luke and Angel, who are talking animatedly. Then I grin mischievously when I notice the mistletoe hanging above their heads.

"Hey, Angel, Luke," I call, smirking. Angel is finally going to get that payback. They look over at me. "Look up."

With confused faces, they turn their gazes upwards. Immediately, both of them flush completely red.

"You know what tradition calls for," I say, crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow. Angel and Luke look at each other awkwardly. In a quick movement, Luke leans his head forward and kisses Angel on the cheek. I smile.

"That's cheating," I say, "but I'll let it go." Angel and Luke both take sighs of relief and run off, desperate to get away from the awkward situation.

"You know, most mothers _don't_ want their daughters off kissing boys," Total says.

"I'm not exactly the average parent, am I?"

"You are the _opposite_ of an average parent," the Doctor says.

"You're one to talk."

"Hold on, he's not a parent," Sarah Jane says.

"He is now! Angel started calling him Dad, apparently," I tell her with a smile.

"That's wonderful," she says. "Doctor, you act so lonely all the time. But look at you! You've got one of the biggest families on Earth."

I think for a moment about how lucky I am. Three years ago, I never would have imagined myself where I am today. My life has been changed in so many ways, and I am so grateful to have so many people I love with me. However, there's still a nagging feeling that it won't last forever. Nothing does.

**~DW~**

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" I ask Angel, hugging her again. She sighs.

"I'll be fine. You act like you're never going to see me again. I'm just staying with Sarah Jane."

"I know," I say sheepishly. "I'm just worried, that's all. A lot has happened over the past few months."

"We're going to be okay," Angel says.

"I'm supposed to be the one comforting you," I laugh, but there's still a nervous edge to it. I don't want to leave Angel. A stupid part of me worries that something bad will happen – that she'll disappear like Mum.

"Again, you act like you're leaving forever. I expect a visit next week," she says, crossing her arms. She looks over my shoulder to the Doctor, raising an eyebrow. He mimes x's over both his hearts.

"You have my word, Angel," he grins. He looks at me. "You ready?"

I sigh, nodding. "I suppose so. Let's just say goodbye to the others and we can go."

We head back to the TARDIS, where Sarah Jane and Luke are waiting for us outside the doors. They smile at us.

"Going so soon?" Sarah Jane asks.

"Yeah, we'd better be off. We'll come visit next week, I promise," the Doctor says, hugging her. I'm right after him. Then I lean down, patting Total on the head. He licks my hand.

"Take care of yourself," he says. I nod.

"I will."

"Bye, guys," Luke says, waving as we step inside the TARDIS. We wave back and I glance at Angel one last time before closing the doors. The Doctor watches me carefully.

"Are you sure you want to leave? We could stay a bit longer, if you want."

"No. If we don't leave now, I never will," I say. He nods and pulls the lever that sends us spinning off into the Vortex.

"So, where are we headed?" I ask. He gives me a look.

"The infirmary."

"Why?" I ask, completely taken off guard by his response.

"Donna might have been clean of Huon particles, but I'm not so sure about you."

"I feel fine!" I protest. He grabs my arm and pulls me off anyway.

"Rose, this is serious. You could be in danger," he says worriedly. I frown at his tone.

"It can't be that bad…"

"I'm checking you over anyway!" the Doctor says shortly. "End of story."

**~DW~**

"What?" the Doctor cries. He's got his glasses on, squinting at the scan results, utterly bewildered.

"I don't know, you tell me!"

"You've got Huon particles _everywhere_. It's in your blood, it's pumping through your body – I don't understand! You should be _dead_."

"But I'm not."

"How is this even possible?" he says, looking me up and down, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, didn't you say that there are Huon particles in the heart of the TARDIS?"

"Yes, but…"

"I looked into the heart of the TARDIS."

"That was two _years_ ago, Rose. There weren't any particles in you, I should know, I checked you over!"

"Well, what if there wasn't enough to trace then? I've been travelling in the TARDIS since then. What if it was like Donna? She was slowly dosed with Huon particles over six months. If there was just a little to begin with, and I've been slowly exposed to more of it over the years, then it wouldn't hurt me. I just attracted more of it, a little at a time. Just like Donna. Nothing bad happened to her! Kind of like a shot, yeah? You get exposed to a little bit of a dead virus, and your body learns to fight it. I got exposed to a little bit of Huon energy, and my body learned to live with it."

The Doctor stares at me.

"That…actually makes sense."

"I know, I'm absolutely brilliant," I say. "See? I'm going to be okay."

The Doctor sighs.

"I think so. Your body has pretty much adapted to it…but I really think if you were completely human, it would have killed you. You got lucky, Rose, and I don't want to push that luck any further. From now on, weekly checkups. No arguing. Are we clear? I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you."

"Okay," I sigh. "Weekly checkups. I guess I can deal with that."

"Thank you," he says, still looking a bit worried.

"Can I go to sleep now?" I ask, yawning. "I'm exhausted."

"Course you can. It's been a long day. You need some rest. You could even go back to your own room, if you like, now that Angel is back with Sarah Jane."

"No," I say quickly. "I'm not ready for that. It's just…there's picture of Mum and stuff in there, and I can't…"

"That's fine," the Doctor says. "Whenever you're ready."

"Goodnight," I say, hugging him. He wraps his arms around me in return.

"Goodnight Rose."

**~DW~**

"Rose! Rose, wake up!" the Doctor says. I groan, pulling my pillow over my head. He's leaning over me, bouncing on the bed excitedly.

"What do you want?"

"The TARDIS scanners picked up plasma coils at a hospital on Earth. That kind of technology won't exist for ages. We're going to check it out! Hurry, get dressed! Allons-y!"

I sigh, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. The Doctor has an excited grin on his face.

"How exactly are we going to investigate a hospital without looking suspicious?"

"Well, one of us has got to check in! We're going undercover!"

"And which one of us is that going to be?" I ask. "You're an alien and I'm not completely human, either. Do you see the problem? Because I do. I don't fancy a complete stranger sticking an IV in my arm."

"I'll check in, it'll be fine," he says, waving it off. "Severe abdominal pains or something."

"If you're a patient, you'll have to stay overnight," I point out. "I won't be able to stay with you."

"You will if you're my wife," he says casually. That wakes me right up. I blink.

"Are you suggesting we get _married_?"

"No! No, no," he says quickly, going a bit red. "It's going _undercover_, Rose. We won't _actually_ be married. John Smith and his wife Rose, that's all."

"And how exactly are we going to make people believe us? We don't have rings or anything," I point out. The Doctor reaches inside his coat pocket, producing two of the objects in question. A simple gold band for him, a silver diamond one for me. He slides his ring on.

"Why the hell do you have rings in your coat pocket?" I say after a moment of silence.

"For things like this," he says, slipping the ring on my finger. My heart picks up and my face flushes slightly. This is stupid, it's just making believe. Like the Doctor would ever marry me for real.

"Alright then. I'm going to take a shower. I'll meet you in the console room in an hour," I say finally, after an awkward quiet moment. He nods quickly, looking down and seeming to realize for the first time that he's practically sitting on top of me in my bed.

"Right," he says hoarsely. He clears his throat and scrambles off of me, making a beeline for the door. I notice after all this time that he's actually wearing a new suit.

"Hey, new suit! What's the special occasion?" I tease. He glances back at me with a grin, all awkwardness completely vanished.

"I dunno. Just found it, thought I'd take it out for a spin. You like it?"

"Yeah. It's a nice change. But I still like the brown better," I say, smiling. "Now out, mister. I need to get ready."

"See you in an hour," he says. "Hurry!"


	39. Smith, Jones, and Tyler

**A/N: yayy Martha! I'm really excited about this chapter :) Hope you guys enjoy it! **

**~DW~**

"I can't believe I'm actually about to do this," I mumble, supporting the Doctor. He's faking leaning on me, grimacing and holding his side.

"Just go with it. We need to check this out," he grumbles. The automatic sliding doors on the hospital open up for us. I inhale sharply and open my mouth, closing my eyes at the incredibly strong medicinal smell. The Doctor glances at me worriedly.

"It's okay, Rose," he murmurs. I shake my head.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get this one over with so we can go. I get to choose where we go next trip," I mutter. He rolls his eyes affectionately as we stumble toward the front desk. The secretary looks up.

"Can I help you?" she asks. I put on my best concerned face.

"My husband here, he's been having pains, and…"

"Fill this out," she says, handing me a clipboard and turning back to her computer. I scowl at her.

"Thank you so much," I say, sweetly sarcastic. I help the Doctor 'limp' over to the nearest chairs and look at the paperwork we need to fill out.

"This is _annoying_," I groan. "This whole place makes me uneasy. I liked it better on New Earth, and that's saying something, because I was being possessed by a bitchy piece of skin."

"I know," the Doctor says sympathetically. "We'll be out of here as soon as possible. If you want, you could head back to the TARDIS, I could take care of this one myself…"

"No. I'm not leaving you here alone," I say shortly, only half telling the truth. _I _don't want to be alone. I'm not letting him out of my sight while we're here. "Now let's get this stupid paperwork done with."

**~DW~**

The next afternoon, I'm sitting at the Doctor's bedside. A nurse has just brought him lunch, which doesn't look very appetizing, so whenever people aren't looking, I sneak him some of the chips I got from the cafeteria. The woman who shares the room with us is quiet, and keeps mostly to herself. The night before, I didn't sleep at all, and that's saying something, because even the Doctor drifted off for a bit. I tried, but I just couldn't. I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep in a hospital like this.

Earlier, I had taken a walk around the building, checking out the premises and looking for suspicious activity, but the entire place seemed completely normal. The Doctor taps me on the shoulder, holding out his hand for more chips, but I shake my head at the sound of footsteps coming closer down the corridor. A line of what look like students file into the room, led by the head doctor. He smiles pleasantly at us.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Would you mind if I put a few of my students to the test?"

"Not at all," says the Doctor, shaking his head. I look over the crowd. My geek-radar is going nuts. The glasses, the neat and organized folders – everything about them screams "I'M A NERD!"

"Lovely," says the man. He scans his group of students, finally settling on a dark-skinned woman.

"Miss Jones," he says, and she squeezes her way to the front. "John Smith admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains. See what you can find. Amaze me." I scrunch my face up – she looks incredibly familiar.

"Do I know you?" I ask her as she pulls out her stethoscope.

"I don't think so," she replies, looking at the Doctor. "But you, that wasn't very smart this morning, was it? Running about outside on Chancellor Street? You took of your tie!"

"I was right here in bed," the Doctor protests, confused. "Ask Rose!" I nod to confirm, still watching the nurse carefully. I can't put my finger on it, and it's bothering me.

"Sure looked like you. Have you got a brother?" she asks. The Doctor shakes his head, his gaze darker than it was a moment before.

"Not anymore, just me."

"And me," I add softly, squeezing his hand.

"Time is ticking, Jones," says the head doctor.

"Sorry," she says, shaking her head. She leans toward the Doctor with the stethoscope. He glances at me for a moment. She'll hear both his hearts. Her eyes widen when she hears the echo of the extra organ, moving the stethoscope to the other side of his chest.

"Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?"

"Um, I don't know," she stutters. "Stomach cramps?"

"That is a symptom, not a diagnosis. You rather failed basics, by not consulting the patient's chart first." The man reaches for the clipboard hanging on the Doctor's bed, but drops it quickly, accompanied by the sound of an electric shock.

"That happened to me this morning," a woman says.

"Me too!" pipes in another voice. I frown. It happened to me, too, at the vending machine earlier.

"Only expected. There's a storm rolling in, and lightning is a form of static electricity, as proven by…?" the head doctor prompts.

"Benjamin Franklin!" the Doctor answers cheerfully. "Oh, that was a day, me and Ben. Got rope burns off that kite, and _then_ I got electrocuted…"

"John," I say sharply. The Doctor shuts right up, looking at me sheepishly.

"Moving on," says the man, giving the Doctor an odd look. They move along to the next patient and I slap the Doctor in the arm.

"Are you stupid, or are you stupid? They think you're mental, now, forget stomach cramps! The insanity is actually _real_."

**~DW~**

"You look worried," the Doctor says a little while later. I'm pacing back and forth in front of the hospital bed, munching on a bag of crisps I got from the vending machine. I freeze in my movements, looking at him.

"I just…that doctor in training, the one who checked on you. She looked _so_ familiar!"

"It's probably just a coincidence," the Doctor shrugged. "You've got a pretty good memory; you'd remember something like that." I sigh.

"You're probably right. It's…" I trail off when I glance out the window. The Doctor follows my gaze.

"It's raining pretty hard," he says. I walk closer to the window.

"Something is wrong."

"Why? What is it?" the Doctor asks worriedly.

"The rain…it's going _up_."

"What was that?"

"The rain is going up," I repeat, looking back at him and raising an eyebrow. Right on cue, the entire room starts shaking. I'm thrown off balance, landing flat on my face on the ground. I hop right back up on my feet quickly.

"Rose!" the Doctor cries, quickly hopping out of the bed to help me up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I assure him. "Hurry, get changed. Meet me outside."

I run out of the room, nearly colliding with the student who had been examining the Doctor earlier.

"Do you know what's going on?" I ask her quickly. She shakes her head, her eyes wide.

"We're on the moon," she states simply. I nod.

"Right, thanks." I run back into the room. "Doctor? We're on the moon."

He pulls back the curtains swiftly, fully dressed in his new blue suit, other than the fact that one of his trainers in untied. He does the knot quickly, leaning his foot on a nearby chair, and then grabs my hand to yank me out the door all over again. He's stopped by two of the medical students rushing into the room. The one who had examined the Doctor reaches to open the window.

"We'll lose all the air!" protests the other.

"These aren't exactly airtight windows, now are they? The air would be long gone by now," she points out.

"Good point," the Doctor says, hopping over to join their conversation. "What was your name?"

"Martha."

"And Jones, wasn't it?" the Doctor asks. She nods. I run the name through my mind quickly.

_Martha Jones. Do I know a Martha Jones?_

"How are we breathing?" I ask, still unsure of where I know the woman from.

"Is there a balcony, or a veranda on this floor?" the Doctor asks. Martha nods.

"Follow me," she says. She leads us out of the room and down the corridor to a patient's lounge. The Doctor stops right in front of the glass double doors that look out to the surface of the moon.

"Fancy going out?" he grins, holding gout his hand to me. I take it, grinning right back.

"Hell yeah!"

"And you, Martha?"

"Okay."

"We might die," the Doctor says. He watches, waiting for her reaction carefully. It's smooth and swift.

"We might not." She yanks the doors open, bracing herself, but nothing bad comes. We all step outside carefully, looking out into space and catching a glimpse of Earth from afar.

"We've got air!" she breathes. "How does that work?"

"Just be happy it does," I say, leaning over the railing.

"I've got a party tonight," she says suddenly. "My brother's twenty-first. My mother's going to be really…" Her voice trails off, unsure of how to go about finishing the sentence.

"You sure you're alright?" the Doctor asks. "We could go back in."

"But it's beautiful," Martha sighs. I smile, knowing the Doctor is thinking about how she would be great companion material. About time I had another woman onboard the TARDIS. Sometimes I need someone to talk to that isn't going to techno babble in my ear.

"What do you think happened?" he asks.

"It's got to be extraterrestrial," she replies. "I know it sounds mad, but with the aliens over London last Christmas? The Cybermen things, just recently? I had a cousin Adeola, she worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home."

"I'm sorry," I say. "I lost…well, a good chunk of my family. My Mum and Dad, my best friend…" My voice gets thick as I think of them. I clear it quickly, blinking back tears, and move on from the subject. "Anyway."

"I promise you, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, we will find a way out. There's got to be a way to get back to Earth."

"It's Tyler," I correct. She looks at me.

"What?"

"My name is Rose Tyler. I'm not actually married to him," I say, jabbing my thumb in the Doctor's direction.

"And I'm the Doctor," he says cheerfully.

"Me too, if I pass my exams. Doctor Smith, then?"

"No, just the Doctor."

"What do you mean?"

"Just…the Doctor," he says.

"People just call you 'the Doctor?'" Martha scoffs. "Well, not me. As far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title."

"Fine by me, Martha Jones," he shrugs. He picks up a small rock off the floor, throwing it out as far as he can. It bounces off of a force field.

"Just what I thought."

"There's a bubble sealing us in?" The Doctor nods. I frown.

"That would mean that this is the only air we have. And when it runs out, all the people in this hospital die."

The seriousness of the situation settles down on all of us as we watch a spaceship land.

"Aliens," Martha gasps. "Oh, my god."

"Judoon," the Doctor says, squinting into the distance. Rhino-looking creatures file out of the ship single-file and head toward the front of the hospital.

"What's a Judoon?" I ask, but when I turn around, the Doctor is already running off, pulling Martha along. I frown.

_What if he finds out how much better she is? I'm sure he'd rather have someone along that's smart and eager than just me._

I shake my head. I'm being ridiculous, and reading into things too much. Taking a deep sigh, I run after them.

**~DW~**

When I finally catch up to the Doctor and Martha, they're hiding behind a plant and watching the Judoon on the mezzanine level. They have started scanning people, drawing black x's on their hands with permanent markers and declaring them 'human.'

"Oh, look! A little shop!" the Doctor says excitedly. I roll my eyes. Of course, he would be focused on _that._

"Never mind! What are Judoon?" Martha asks.

"Galactic police…well, for hire. More like interplanetary thugs."

"Pleasant," I mutter.

"They've brought the hospital here for something. Neutral territory. They don't have jurisdiction over Earth, but the moon is fair game," the Doctor explains. "The rain and lightning, that was them using an H2O scoop."

"Galactic law?" Martha repeats. "Where are you getting all this? Are we under arrest for trespassing on the moon or something?"

"I don't think so. The Doctor just said that _they _brought _us_ here."

"Rose is right; it's simpler than that. They're scanning about looking for a non-human; it looks like, which is bad news for me."

"What? Why?" Martha sputters. The Doctor gives her a look. "Don't look at me like that!" He raises an eyebrow. "Oh, you're kidding me."

A worry creeps into my mind. What if it's bad news for me, too?

"Doctor? What will _I _scan as?"

"Human, probably."

"_Probably_?" Martha and I cry. She looks at me, wide eyed.

"_You're _not human either?"

"It's a long story, and we don't have time right now!"

"This way," the Doctor says quickly, rushing off. Martha and I exchange looks before going after him.

**~DW~ **

The Doctor leads us into an office, going right to the computer and scanning it with his sonic.

"They've reached the third floor," Martha reports, walking inside. She makes a face. "What's that?"

"A sonic screwdriver," the Doctor tells her, not looking up from the screen.

"If you're not going to answer me properly…"

"It is," I reply for the Doctor, who's so distracted he probably didn't even hear her question. "It's a screwdriver. It's sonic. I've got one too."

I pull out my sonic screwdriver for her to get a closer look. She shakes her head, looking exasperated.

"What, have you got laser spanners too?"

"Oh," the Doctor shouts, frustrated. Martha and I look over at him, a bit startled. "The Judoon locked the computers down! Judoon platoon upon the moon. Really, all I wanted was to investigate the plasma coils around the hospital. I thought something was going on inside, but it was the Judoon up above!"

"What were they looking for?" Martha asks.

"Something that looks human, but is not human," the Doctor says. "Like me. But not me, I promise."

"Haven't they got a photo?"

"It could be a shape-changer," I point out.

"Can't we just leave the Judoon to find it?" Martha cries. The Doctor shakes his head.

"If they declare the hospital guilty of harboring a fugitive, they'll sentence all of us to execution."

"That's lovely," I say sarcastically.

"If I could just find this thing," the Doctor says. "The Judoon are completely thick, they've wiped the records. That's clever. Martha, do you know of any patients admitted with unusual symptoms in the last week or so?"

"Keep at it. I'll go ask Mr. Stoker, he might know."

She rushes out, leaving me and the Doctor alone. He glances at me out of the corner of his eye.

"So, what do you think of her?"

"She's brilliant," I say honestly. "She's smart, capable, not afraid of extraterrestrial things…are you thinking about bringing her with us?"

"Maybe for a trip or two, to test her. Would that be okay with you?"

"It's your TARDIS; you can do whatever you want."

"Well, she's your home, too," the Doctor says. "I just wanted to make sur…"

Martha runs breathlessly back into the room.

"I found her!" she cries, just as two figures dressed in leather approach her from behind.

"What?" the Doctor says, turning around from the computer. Then his eyes widen and he grabs my hand.

"Run!"

**~DW~**

"Doctor, do you even know where the hell we're going?" I shout, slightly out of breath as we run up _another_ flight of stairs.

"No!" he yells back, finally opening a door to a new floor of the building. No more upstairs nonsense – that was getting a bit ridiculous. I glance behind me and groan, seeing the leather-clad creature right on our tails. The Doctor makes a sharp turn, entering a room marked: _DANGER! RADIATION_

Martha and I stop for a moment, catching our breath, but the peace doesn't last for very long. The creature is right through the door behind us, going after the Doctor into the radiation chamber. He's sonicing a machine, yelling at Martha.

"Turn it on!" he shouts.

"I don't know how!"

"Figure it out, then!"

She goes digging, coming up with a manual. Her eyes scan over the pages quickly, while I keep a nervous eye on the Doctor. He leads the creature further into the chamber.

"Got it!" Martha cheers, slamming on the button. There's a bright flash of light, and I shield my eyes. When I open them again, the Doctor is standing in the chamber, looking down at the thing that was chasing us. I make a move to open the door and come in with him.

"No! It's not safe for you, not yet," he says quickly. "I've still got to expel the radiation."

"What did you do?" I ask, completely confused as to what just occurred.

"Increased the radiation by five thousand percent, killed it dead. It's only a Slab, completely made of leather. Not exactly difficult. But I absorbed some radiation, and now I've got to get rid of it."

He jumps up and down on one foot, shaking his other leg and kicking out at the air. Martha stares at him, I just shake my head.

"That should kill you, too!"

"Nah," the Doctor shrugs. "We used to play with roentgen blocks in the nursery. I just need to shake it out of my body, preferably into my left shoe…"

"That explains the jumping," I mumble, still trying to hold back a laugh at how ridiculous he looks. His face is scrunched up and he looks completely mad.

"Ow, ow, ow, itches! Itches!" he says, reaching down and pulling off his shoe and sock in a swift movement. I raise my eyebrows.

"Just when I thought you couldn't be more insane," I say. "You never cease to surprise me."

"I look a bit odd, don't I, with one shoe?" he says, looking down at his feet. He pulls off his other shoe and sock. "Better." He grins at me. "Barefoot on the moon. Don't get to say that every day."

"What did you say that thing was?" Martha asks as I open the door and give the Doctor a quick hug.

"Basic slave drones, they're called Slabs," he explains. He kicks it. "Solid leather, all the way through."

"It came with that woman, Mrs. Finnegan," Martha says. "They're working for her."

"Hold on, the same Mrs. Finnegan that shared the room with us?" I clarify, thinking of the old woman who had the hospital bed that was beside the Doctor's.

"That's the one," Martha confirms, nodding. We both look at the Doctor, but he's not even listening to us. He pulls something out of an x-ray machine, frowning.

"My sonic screwdriver," he complains. I stare at the burnt piece of metal in his hands. "I loved my sonic screwdriver!"

"I know, I know," I say comfortingly, patting his arm. I pull my own sonic out and toss it to him. "Use mine for now."

"She was one of the patients," Martha says, trying to get him back on topic. "She had some kind of straw; she was drinking his blood through it like a vampire or something…" She frowns when she realizes he isn't listening to her, only moping. "Doctor!"

"Right!" he says, snapping out of it and tossing his crispy sonic screwdriver over his shoulder. He smiles at her. "You called me 'Doctor.'"

"She said Mrs. Finnegan is the alien," I tell him.

"Funny time to have a snack, you'd think she'd be hiding. Or..no! Shape-changer! Internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking his blood, she was assimilating it!"

"Huh?" I say. "What do you mean?"

"If she drinks his blood, she'll scan as human," the Doctor explains, running his hand through his hair. "We've got to find her and show the Judoon."

We make out way back out to the corridor, but duck behind a water cooler when we notice another Slab walking down the hall.

"That's the thing about Slabs, they always travel in pairs," the Doctor mutters.

"We should split up," I say. "I'll go that way, you two go that way." I point in respective directions. "Meet up on the next floor down. If the Judoon are up here, they won't think to go back and check a floor they've already done."

"Good idea," the Doctor says. "Allons-y!" He grabs Martha's hand and they take off down the hall. I look back and forth quickly and run the other direction. Unfortunately, when I round the corner, I quite literally run into a Judoon. It stares me down, scanning me quickly.

"Non-human," it declares.

"Oh, shit," I groan, turning around and bolting. It shoots after me, but its aim is lousy. I make it to the staircase without much of an issue, dodging people and nearly tripping over a few. When a blast whizzes by my arm, nearly touching me, I decide kicking into super-speed is a good idea. I slam the door behind me and run down the stairs, quickly pushing the door open to the next floor down and shutting it before the Judoon can see where I went. I catch sight of the Doctor and Martha easily, running toward me through a crowd of people. The first thing I do when I meet up with them is smack the Doctor on the backside of the head.

"Idiot," I cry. He looks at me with an extremely confused expression.

"What did I do?"

"You told me I would scan as human!"

"You didn't?"

"No!"

"That doesn't make sen…"

"Oi! We have more important matters on hand right now! You can have a nice domestic when this is all over!" Martha interrupts. "We barely have enough oxygen for all these people; we need to do something, fast!"

"Lead me to Mr. Stoker's office," the Doctor says. "How are you feeling, by the way?"

"I'm running on adrenaline," Martha replies. He looks at me.

"I feel fine. Absolutely normal. No different than flying at extreme heights, really," I shrug. He nods. We turn the corner and Martha heads into an office. Mr. Stoker is lying on the floor, dead. The Doctor kneels down to examine him.

"I was right, she's a plasmavore. She drained him dry."

"Why was she on Earth to begin with?" I ask.

"On the run, most likely. Now, think, think, think," the Doctor mutters, rushing out of the room. Martha and I glance at each other. She bends down and closes Mr. Stoker's open eyes before we follow the Doctor.

"Now, if I was a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" the Doctor is asking himself aloud. "Oh! She's as clever as me. Almost."

"You have no modesty, you know that?"

"Hold them up," he tells us quickly. "I need time. Now, both of you, I'm really sorry about this. I'm only saving lives, it doesn't mean anything."

In a flash, his mouth is on Martha's, kissing her deeply. My eyes widen. He pulls away quickly, not even glancing back when he runs off.

"What?" Martha chokes out, extremely confused.

"I have no idea," I say, shaking my head and frowning. Maybe I wasn't reading into things before. Maybe the Doctor _does_ prefer Martha over me. What the hell was that all about, though? Was that really necessary?

Suddenly, I hear the voices of the Judoon down the hallway. I look at Martha.

"Right, give me your jacket," I say to Martha.

"Um, okay," she says, shrugging it off and tossing it to me. I get rid of my own brown jacket, digging into the pocket and taking out the pocket knife before handing it to Martha. I put on her jacket and motion for her to put on mine. Then I pull my hair up into a sloppy bun, looking into Martha's pockets.

"Good!" I say, pulling out a permanent marker and drawing an x on my hand. "They'll think they scanned me already. And hopefully they won't recognize me."

"Good idea!" she says. Both of us turn to stare at the Judoon as they approach us down the corridor. One of them scans her over. She tries to talk to them.

"Listen, I know who you're looking for…"

"Human. Non-human traits suspected. Non-human element confirmed. Authorize full scan. What are you?"

"Oh," I breathe, realizing that's why the Doctor kissed Martha. They can sense his DNA on her. The Judoon marks an x on Martha's hand.

"Confirmed: human. Traces of facial contact with non-human. Continue the search. You will need this."

"What's that for?" she asks.

"Compensation."

The Judoon move on, and Martha and I follow them quickly. They make a detour into the MRI room. Mrs. Finnegan stands in the center of the room, and the Doctor is lying on the ground, looking pale. There's a red mark on his throat with blood trickling from it. My heart nearly stops. She tried to kill him. My face flushes with anger.

"Now look what you've done! This poor man just died of fright!" she cries, acting completely innocent. The Judoon scan him over.

"Confirmation: deceased."

"What?" I cry, my eyes widening. I push past them all. "He can't be!" I drop to my knees next to him, my heart pounding. I check his pulse, tears building up. I can't feel a thing. "No! Not now, you can't leave me alone like this! Regenerate! Regenerate!"

"Stop. Case closed," declare the Judoon, knowing the Doctor isn't human.

"It was her!" Martha shouts, pointing at Mrs. Finnegan. "She killed him!"

"The Judoon have no authority over human crime."

"She's not human!" Martha says. She grabs a scanner out of the Judoon's hand, running it over her.

"Non-human," says the Judoon.

"You drank the Doctor's blood," Martha says. I look down at his lifeless form again.

"Please don't do this to me," I whisper. "Me and Angel – you're all we have left. Please." Tears stream down my cheeks silently.

The Judoon scan Mrs. Finnegan again.

"Confirm: Plasmavore. I charge you with the crime of murdering the princess of Partival Regency Nine."

"She deserved it!" Mrs. Finnegan shouts. "She was _begging _for the bite of a plasmavore!"

"Do you confess?"

"Confess! I'm proud of it!"

The remaining Slab she has tries to shoot at the Judoon, but they simply disintegrate it. Mrs. Finnegan comes right after it.

"Verdict: Guilty. Sentence: Execution."

"Enjoy your victory, because you're going to burn with me!" she screams, but vanishes into ash mere moments later. A warning sign on a machine lights up: _MAGNETIC OVERLOAD_.

"Scans detect lethal acceleration of monomagnetic pulse," say the Judoon.

"Fix it! DO something!" Martha shouts.

"Our jurisdiction has ended. Judoon will evacuate."

They all withdraw, marching out of the room. Martha joins me beside the Doctor. She starts doing CPR.

"When I tell you to, hold his nose closed and breathe air into his mouth," she says, coughing. She's running out of air.

"Two hearts," I remind her.

"Now," she says weakly. I do what she told me, taking a deep breath and blowing into the Doctor's mouth. When I pull back, he coughs, and I feel like a weight is lifted off my shoulders.

_He's alive. Oh, thank god, he's alive._

Martha collapses on the ground. The Doctor sits up, and even my breathing has started to get thin. I point at the MRI machine.

"She did something," I choke out. The Doctor drags himself over to the machine and unplugs it. Then he sits down, leaning against the wall, holding out an arm to me. I grab his hand and he pulls me into him, wrapping an arm around me.

"Come on, reverse it," he mutters. "Reverse it."

Both of us smile when we hear the pitter-patter of rain on the moon.

**~DW~**

The Doctor and I rush out of the hospital and back to the TARDIS as soon as we can, avoiding reporters and medical staff. I collapse on the captain's chair, feeling exhausted, and the Doctor moves the TARDIS to float around in the Vortex.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," I say hoarsely. He glances up at me.

"What?"

"I thought you were dead," I say, staring at him. His gaze softens.

"I'm so sorry, Rose," he says, taking a seat beside me and pulling me into a hug. I sigh, wrapping my arms around him and closing my eyes. We both jump a little when my phone rings.

"It's Angel," I say, checking the caller ID. I answer it. "Hey, sweetie."

"Okay, I bet Luke five dollars that you were in that hospital that went to the moon. Tell me I win."

I laugh so hard tears start streaming down my cheeks. The Doctor watches me, completely bewildered and holding back a smile.

"I knew it!" Angel cries happily. "Pay up!"

"Are you serious? Come on!" Luke complains in the background.

"Sorry, Luke," I say, shaking my head. "Maybe next time. Angel is dangerous to make bets with."

"What happened?" the Doctor asks.

"Angel bet Luke five dollars that we were in the hospital on the moon."

He laughs loudly, and I start again.

"It's only been a day since I've seen you and you're already getting into trouble," Angel says. "Be careful! I'll see you in a few days, right?"

"Yeah. I love you," I say, calming down a bit and wiping my eyes.

"Love you too. Bye, Mum." She hangs up the phone. I brush my hair out of my face. Then I realize – I'm still wearing Martha's jacket.

"Doctor, I'm still wearing Martha's jacket," I say.

"We'd better return that, shouldn't we?" he says. "I was planning on stopping by anyway. I think we should take her on a trip or two."

"Definitely. If it hadn't been for her, we might've died today," I agree. He hops out of the captain's chair and whirls around the console, sending us flying off. The ride is bumpy, and I cling to the chair and smile. Some things never change. Slowly, the shaking stops and the Doctor bounds over to the door. I join him, moving to open it, but he grabs my hand and stops me, spinning me around and pressing his lips to mine in a fierce kiss. My eyes widen, completely taken off guard, but once the surprise wears off, I kiss him back.

He pulls back with a contagious smile, causing the corners of my own mouth to turn up.

"What was that for?" I ask breathlessly.

"An apology, for having to kiss Martha earlier."

"You should apologize like that more often," I tease with a wink. He goes to lean in again, but I turn away and open the door, grinning when he whines. The sky outside is dark, and Martha is staring frozen at the TARDIS. I step outside, shrugging off her jacket and tossing it to her.

"Forgot to give this to you," I explain. She looks down at her own body, seemingly noticing for the first time that she's still wearing my jacket.

"I didn't even realize," she laughs, taking it off and handing it to me. I slide it on quickly – it's cold out.

Two people storm out of the restaurant nearby, yelling at each other. One is a blonde woman, the other a dark-skinned man. More people file out and Martha frowns. I realize it must be her family arguing.

"I'm not prepared to be _insulted_ by her!" shouts the blonde.

"Are you really going to let her call your own daughter crazy?" shouts another woman at the older man.

"'I've been to the moon!' As if!"

"Oh, would you just _stop_?"

"Don't! You're just making it worse!"

"I'm never talking to your family again!"

The Doctor and I exchange looks, and I nod at Martha to follow us around the corner.

"I did go to the moon today," Martha says. "I'm not crazy."

"No, you're not," the Doctor says. "It's a bit more peaceful up there, isn't it?"

"They drive me up the wall sometimes," Martha says, shaking her head. "It seems like my sister is the only normal one sometimes."

"I know the feeling," I say, remembering all the stupid arguments the Flock had over the years.

"You never even told me who you were," she says.

"I'm the Doctor. This is Rose."

"But what species?" Martha asks. "I don't get to ask that every day."

"Time Lord," he says. "And, we were thinking, since you saved our lives today and I got myself a brand new sonic screwdriver, you might want to come along for a trip."

"Into space?"

"Well."

"I've got exams," she sighs. "Things to do. I've got to go into town and pay the rent and my family going mad…"

"It travels in time, too," I add. "He always forgets that part."

"Get out of here," Martha says, rolling her eyes.

"I'll prove it!" says the Doctor. He steps inside the TARDIS and dematerializes. A moment later he's back, his tie dangling in his hand.

"Oh my god!" Martha gasps. "It really does! But if you saw me this morning, why not tell me not to go into work?"

"Crossing timelines isn't pretty," I explain simply. "Except for cheap tricks, apparently."

"That's your spaceship?" she says, pointing at the TARDIS. The Doctor nods.

"TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

"It's made of wood. And it's a bit small," she says. I push open the door, nodding for her to follow me inside.

"Oh my god!" she says, running out immediately, most likely circling around the TARDIS before coming back in. "It's bigger on the inside!"

I laugh at the Doctor, who mouths the words along with her.

"Is it? I hadn't noticed."

"Is there a crew? Like, where is everyone?"

"Just us," the Doctor says. "Sometimes we have people along."

"You don't have a family or anything?" Martha asks, turning to me.

"Well, there's Angel. She stays with Sarah Jane and Luke on Earth, though. Asked her to come along with us, but she didn't really want to. She comes on trips occasionally," I tell her.

"Who's Angel?"

"My daughter," I say. I glance at the Doctor. "Well, _our_ daughter." He looks up at me and smiles.

"Hold on, I thought you said you two weren't married?" Martha says, extremely confused.

"It's very complicated," the Doctor says. "Now, do you want to have personal conversations, or get out there and see a bit of the universe?"

Without waiting for a response, he pulls the lever that starts the TARDIS with a manic grin, sending us hurtling off through time and space.


End file.
